Guarding the Guardian
by Saravi Boo
Summary: <html><head></head>Zoro is the crew's warrior. The guardian of all the weaker members and the backup for the strongest ones. However, when the swordsman is injured and unable to protect himself; a reluctant cook must step in to guard the guardian. Separated from the rest of the crew, the pair must struggle to survive long enough to get home to the Sunny. New World. No pairings, just nakamaship.</html>
1. Chapter One: Waking

Guarding the Guardian

Author's Note: Quick edit to fix a couple of things I noticed after I posted this. I originally wrote this before watching Thriller Bark or anything beyond that. However, for certain reasons I feel it would be better to set it in the new world so I am having to edit accordingly. Nothing huge, mostly just whenever I mention Zoro's eyes, which should not be plural any longer. If you catch anything else like that that I might have missed, please let me know via review. Thanks. Sorry for the false alarm for those waiting on the next chapter. I finished breaking the story up last night and just have to do minor editing before I can post the next one. I might be able to get it up today if my work cooperates.

Chapter 1: Waking

Zoro woke up with a splitting headache, a sore throat, and a sour taste in his mouth that spoke of him having vomited recently.

'How much did I drink last night?' He wondered; trying to remember and coming up with only flashes of the previous evening. Oddly enough, none of them involved drinking, aside from his usual dinner accompaniment. Determined to solve this mystery, he cracked open his eye; only to immediately forgo that plan as the sunlight on his face heightened his headache to a new level of hellish. He thought he might have moaned but he couldn't hear it over the pounding in his skull.

"Oi." A shadow fell over his face to go with the annoyingly familiar voice. "You awake Marimo-head?" A shoe clad foot nudged his leg with unusual gentleness (for Sanji) when he didn't immediately respond.

"Lemme sleep, stupid cook." He ordered crankily, or rather that's what he tried to say. What came out was a harsh groan that set off a coughing fit that lasted several minutes.

Zoro barely registered the firm hands on his shoulders; helping him sit up as the wracking coughs combined with the artillery going off in his skull to render coherent thought nearly impossible. He had no time to react to the wave of nausea that hit him, before a particularly bad cough caused him to gag. The swordsman proceeded to vomit the entire contents of his stomach onto the ground in front of him; thankfully missing his lap as the helpful hands leaned him aside and one of them moved to pat his back awkwardly.

When the spell finally passed, the swordsman was exhausted and he took a few moments to focus on getting his breathing under control before he shrugged off the firm grip and sat on his own power; swaying slightly before he managed to steady himself.

Zoro forced his eye open again with a grimace and found Sanji's somewhat unwelcome visage glaring back at him with his customary expression of bored disdain. The green haired man could have sworn that he saw just a flicker of something like worry in the cook's visible eye before the blonde could quell it, but he pushed that thought away as a trick of the light.

Reluctant to attempt talking again, through a throat that now felt like he'd eaten a flaming serving of broken glass; Zoro simply glared through a narrowed eye at the cook. The question hung in the air between them just as clearly as if he'd spoken it.

Sanji seemed to consider him for a minute before he sighed and sat down on the sand beside the swordsman; as far away as possible from the vomit, while still close enough to assist him again if the need arose. "Do you remember the storm?" He asked tiredly, reaching for a cigarette and not finding the pack in its usual place before sighing and running a hand through his hair in an irritated manner.

Zoro frowned thoughtfully, which the cook seemed to take as a no.

"Yeah, that's not really surprising." The blonde muttered. "Even your stupid green head isn't that hard."

Zoro bristled; but the need for information and his current state of exhaustion combined to make him decide to ignore the insult.

"Right, I'll start at the beginning..."

To be continued...

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the first part. This story is complete but I wrote it as a monstrous oneshot and I feel it will flow better with chapters. So, I will be breaking it up and editing a bit and I will post as I get them finished. Please review and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading! Next chapter: How did they get into this mess? We flash back to Sanji's memories of the night before to find out.


	2. Chapter Two: Drowning

Guarding the Guardian

Author's Note: Yay! Chapter two is ready! Thanks to those who reviewed the first chapter. I have finished breaking this up and it has fifteen chapters total. They will be posted as I finish the editing. Now, before I go any further, please let me remind you that this is not a romantic pairing between Sanji and Zoro. As far as I am concerned the relationship they share is more like that of antagonistic, over-competitive siblings. The sort who torment each other but heaven help anyone else who tries to hurt one of them and they are there for each other when it matters. My sister and I were sort of like that, with less kicking and sharp objects of course. You can take the scenes however you like. That is your prerogative as a reader. Just don't expect yaoi in this fic. Okay?

Disclaimer: Ah, I forgot to mention I do not own One Piece or its characters. I am merely playing with them and will return them when I'm done...mostly intact...probably.

Chapter Two: Drowning

Sanji was just putting away the last of newly cleaned supper dishes when he felt the ship pitch under his feet. 'Nami-san's storm must have found us.' He thought, with a love struck smile as an image of the buxom navigator popped into his mind. He hurried to secure the last of the breakables in the galley before heading out onto the Sunny's deck into the growing chaos.

Nami was shouting orders from the upper deck, looking glorious as the wind tossed her red hair wildly around her face. The rest of the crew was scurrying to do her bidding.

"Sanji-kun!"

"Yes, Nami-swan!" He answered automatically.

"Help Zoro with the sails!"

"Of course!" He danced across the pitching deck with the ease that came of a childhood spent at sea and soon joined the swordsman in the rigging.

The pair soon had the mainsail tightly furled and had moved on to securing the tarp over Nami's tangerines when Zoro's eye narrowed at something towards the starboard of the ship and he took off running. Sanji followed, knowing that look all too well. One of the crew had gone overboard, probably someone who couldn't swim, if the swordsman's quick reaction was any indication. The blonde grabbed a rope and handed one end of it to the swordsman just as they reached the edge of the deck and Zoro gripped the lifeline in his teeth to free his hands for swimming as he dove into the viciously churning water.

Moving quickly, the long legged cook tied his end of the rope around the mast for extra security before rushing back to the railing and scanning the black water for any sign of his nakama. Long minutes seemed to pass before Zoro surfaced with a sputtering Chopper in tow. The swordsman was nearly at the end of the rope and Sanji watched in horror as the storm tried to pull the pair even further from the heaving ship. He had just started to haul them in when a particularly large wave washed over the pair in the water and he nearly fell backwards as the taut rope went slack. The blonde wiped water from his eye and peered through the driving rain and wind towards where he had last seen the swordsman and the doctor. Finally he spotted them bobbing in the waves and he released a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. Zoro tried to swim towards the ship but the current was too strong, even for his ridiculous strength, and he soon paused; seemingly considering something as he looked down at the small, limp form in his arms.

'He's gonna do something stupid.' Sanji's mind chimed in helpfully as the green haired man's eye met his despite the distance between them. The first mate was mouthing something and the cook had only a moment to realize he was saying 'Catch'

Then Chopper's small form was flying through the air towards the ship and Sanji was leaping to grab him before he could crash into the deck. He handed the unconscious reindeer to Usopp who had noticed the commotion and joined him; while the rest of the crew was still too busy battling the storm. The blonde hurried back to the railing again; his eye searching for the familiar shock of green hair amongst the churning waves. Finally, he managed to spot the swordsman, now several hundred feet from the ship. They didn't have a rope on hand that would reach that far and Luffy wouldn't be able to grab the idiot without getting thoroughly drenched in seawater; which would likely result in both of them needing to be rescued.

Sanji was pondering letting the Marimo simply tread water for the rest of the storm when Usopp's cry of terror cut through his thoughts. The goggled marksman was pointing frantically at something cutting through the waves behind the swordsman and Sanji squinted to make out what had upset their resident liar. What he saw made him go cold in a way that had nothing to do with the fact that he was soaked to the skin.

A ship, more specifically a Marine battleship, had appeared out of the blackness of the storm and was bearing down on the swimming pirate. Zoro was too distracted fighting to stay afloat in the violent waters to notice the danger approaching him from behind.

In slow motion, the cook saw that stupid green head collide painfully with the ship's steel-reinforced keel as the vessel plowed through the water. Zoro disappeared, pulled under the massive ship and Sanji barely had time to realize what he was doing, before he was in the water and swimming as fast as he could away from the Sunny. He hadn't even taken the time to take off his shoes. Usopp's yells followed him for a few yards before the storm swallowed the panicked sound. It was just as well, as Sanji had to focus entirely on keeping his bearings and moving steadily towards the last place he'd seen Zoro.

The Marine ship passed by him and he had to fight against its wake for an agonizingly long minute before he broke free and cast his gaze desperately around for any sign of his crewmate. Seeing nothing, he took a deep breath and dived beneath the angry sea to search. The cook ignored the way the salt water burned his eyes as he opened them to try and spot his target.

Sanji's lungs burned for air and he surfaced quickly, gulping the needed oxygen into his lungs before swimming determinedly down once again.

'Come on, stupid Marimo...There!' The blonde ignored the apprehension that settled into his gut as he finally spotted Zoro.

The swordsman was hanging limply in the water, the waves tossing him like a ragdoll, but what Sanji found most disturbing was the way Zoro's mouth hung open without so much as one bubble issuing forth.

It seemed to take an eternity to battle the storm and reach the unconscious man's side. Sanji wrapped an arm around Zoro's broad chest and dragged them both to the surface; kicking to keep them afloat while he tried to locate the Sunny through the still raging tempest. He felt his stomach drop as he realized the ship was nowhere in sight but he pushed the urge to panic away. He couldn't have fought the current to get to the ship while dragging Zoro anyway and the muscle bound man was too heavy for him to sky walk them out of the water.

A little voice in his mind that sounded far too much like Usopp, tried to point out that the swordsman still wasn't breathing but Sanji squashed it back down. He couldn't do anything about that until he could get them both out of the water; so he focused on dealing with the problems he could actually do something about, hopefully.

The cook gritted his teeth, wishing for a cigarette to calm his nerves as he tried to come up with some plan that didn't involve both of them dying in the next few minutes.

They'd passed a tiny island just before the storm had set in. He'd seen it through the galley window; just a spit of sand surrounded by rocky reefs, with a few coconut palms, scrubby bushes, and sparse tufts of grass. It couldn't be too far away, but in the battering waves Sanji was barely certain which way was up, much less where that tiny island had been. Still, the cook knew one thing; he might survive by treading water until the storm ended, but Zoro was a dead man if he didn't find some way to get him breathing again soon.

Sending up a silent prayer to Nami-swan for guidance, Sanji picked a direction that didn't force him to go against the current and started swimming; towing Zoro's inert form along as the water did everything it could to wrest the swordsman from his grip.

Luck was with them as the raging waves practically shoved the pair onto the tiny island's beach just a couple of minutes later. Sanji lay on the sand for a long moment, barely believing the feel of the solid earth beneath his hands; before the urgency of the situation crashed back down on him and he scrambled to drag Zoro the rest of the way out of the water and turn the frighteningly still swordsman onto his back. Even in the near dark, Sanji could see that the first mate's skin was ashen and his lips were an unhealthy shade of blue. Long fingers felt at Zoro's throat for a pulse, terrified that it might already be too late, but they found it. The thump was slow and erratic but the blonde sighed in relief just the same.

Satisfied that there was still a chance, Sanji began the arduous task of coaxing the water from Zoro's lungs. He rolled the swordsman onto his side and thumped him on the back for several long minutes with no results. He paused periodically to check for the reassuring heartbeat that told him he hadn't failed in his self imposed task, but it kept getting slower and harder to find before it finally faltered entirely.

The cook bit out a string of curses and hoped it was just the cold numbing his fingers but in his heart he knew better. There was still a slim chance he could get that beat going again, as much as the idea of admitting it had stopped caused the blonde's own lungs to momentarily rebel against him in what was most definitely not a sob; no way would he ever cry over the moss ball. He quickly dragged his emotions back under control. The swordsman was running out of time and Sanji knew he really had only one choice left.

That didn't stop him from making one desperate, last ditch effort to avoid it. "Breathe you idiot!" He shouted over the howling of the wind, grabbing a handful of Zoro's sodden robe and giving the man a solid shake for good measure. "Don't make me do it for you, Marimo!" The threat failed to get any response from the still figure and the cook lowered the pale body back onto the wet sand.

Sanji sighed in resignation before he tipped Zoro's head back none too gently by grabbing a handful of that ridiculous green hair, and took a deep breath; once he was fairly sure he had the airway as clear as it was going to get with the idiot's stupid lungs full of seawater. Determined not to fail, Sanji pressed his mouth to his unconscious crewmate's and released the air he'd been holding; forcing the oxygen into Zoro's waterlogged lungs.

When that received no response, the blonde began doing chest compressions. Chopper had made sure they all knew how after Thriller Bark; though Sanji had been one of the few in the crew already familiar with the technique. Sanji snorted; that was this idiot's fault for scaring the poor doctor half to death by nearly dying on them, and now he was doing it again.

"I thought you were supposed to be stronger now, seaweed brains." He growled at the still figure beneath his hands. "You better survive this..." He breathed into the bluish lips again quickly before picking up his tirade. "Or so help me, I will kill you myself!"

Saving the rest of his breath for the task at hand, the cook fell into a familiar rhythm of compressions and breaths. Spend enough time at sea and you better learn how to resuscitate a drowning victim. Zeff had taught him when they opened the restaurant, said it was in case any of the customers ever got drunk enough to walk off the terrace and forget to swim. Sanji had only had to use the knowledge a couple of times before, and one of those times it had been too late for the elderly man he had pulled from the water.

'Not this time.' He thought firmly. "Breathe! What did you do for two years if this is all it takes to stop you!?" He shouted angrily. "You'll never be the best if you die here! Are you really so weak that you're gonna let a little water beat you?!" He forced another breath past the cold blue tinted lips...

...and Zoro coughed weakly. For an instant, the blonde was almost sure he had imagined the response but then the small cough was followed by a desperate gasp that turned into a gurgling hacking sound as Zoro's beleaguered lungs got back into the fight Sanji had been waging for them. The stunned cook grinned and rolled the now very much alive man onto his side to make it easier for him to divest his body of the water he'd inhaled. Only when the coughing and vomiting had subsided did the cook lay the swordsman back against the sand.

Zoro still showed no signs of waking, but Sanji was relieved enough to see the scarred chest rising and falling with each shallow breath; and the pulse the cook sought with trembling hands pounded strong and steady now that the oxygen supply had been restored.

Too exhausted to drag either of them up into the island's meager underbrush, Sanji flopped onto the sand at Zoro's side with a sigh of relief. He closed his eyes against the continual sting of the rain and blowing sand. He could feel his adrenaline waning now that the immediate danger was past and he was more than ready to give in to his body's demand for sleep gracefully.

However, despite his exhaustion he couldn't seem to relax. Frustrated and half incoherent as his adrenaline drained away, Sanji tossed and turned on the sand as he tried to sleep. He wasn't really consciously aware when he flopped one long boned hand onto Zoro's chest, palm splayed out against the scarred flesh. Still, he could feel the steady rise and fall of the swordsman's breathing beneath his hand; the steady thump of his friend's heart reassuring against his fingertips. The blonde chef felt the last of his tension melt away despite the fact that they were far from safe.

He hadn't failed. Zoro was alive.

Sanji was asleep in moments.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note: That was longer than the first one. The chapters will vary in length quite a bit. Hope you enjoyed it. Please review and let me know what you think. Next chapter: Sanji's point of view of the first chapter and Zoro's reaction to the retelling of the night's events.


	3. Chapter Three: Processing

Guarding the Guardian

Author's Note: Okay, there will be some medical stuff in this story and I did actually do a fair amount of research; figuring out what it would take to keep Zoro down for any length of time was not easy. I try for believability. However, I don't claim to be a doctor and the Strawhat crew doesn't seem to abide by the rules of what can and cannot incapacitate a person anyway so please be lenient with me. Thanks to those who reviewed the previous chapters. Also, I will try to put up a chapter a day on weekdays. Weekend updates are unlikely because I have a lot to do then. Friday updates may be iffy too since I don't work on Fridays. Just wanted to let everyone know ahead of time so you don't think I've vanished when I don't post any updates for a couple days.

Disclaimer: I still don't own any of it except my plot, and I'm sure something like it has been done before too. I promise nothing I do here will have any effect on canon One Piece. Admit it...you're all a bit relieved at that, aren't you? Hehehe.

Chapter Three: Processing

Sanji woke once in the night, just long enough to register that the storm had blown itself out and Zoro's chest was still rising and falling raggedly under his hand.

The next thing to wake him was a small pained noise that jerked him to awareness almost instantly. The cook sat up with a start, brushing sand from his face and hair as his eyes were glued to his nakama. In daylight, Zoro's skin was far too pale to be healthy and a small amount of blood stained the sand under his head a rusty brown. The dark color was actually something of a relief to the cook, since it meant the unseen wound had likely closed itself in the night.

He was beginning to wonder if he'd imagined the noise but he poked the swordsman gently with the toe of one shoe to be sure.

The reaction was sluggish, but the Strawhat's first mate was definitely awake. Relief turned almost instantly to reluctant concern as the swordsman's attempt to talk turned into a violent coughing fit. Sanji knelt on the sand and quickly helped the other man sit up as Zoro began to choke and gag.

The next few minutes were decidedly unpleasant for both of them as Sanji offered silent support while the swordsman appeared to heave up everything he'd eaten for the last ten years. The cook balked at the idea of trying to comfort Zoro with soothing words as he might have offered one of his other nakama.

'Idiot wouldn't appreciate that anyway.' He decided.

If Zoro's questioning glare when the attack finally subsided was any indication, the swordsman didn't appreciate the firm hand on his shoulder either but that couldn't be helped. Sanji refused to let the mosshead drown in his own vomit after he'd worked so hard to keep him alive in the first place.

However, he did cede the injured man some personal space before he tried to explain what was going on. It felt right, reestablishing those comfortable boundaries between them as he felt around in his pocket for his cigarettes before remembering that he'd been in the ocean so his current pack would be unsmokeable. He sighed in resignation, already feeling the first signs of nicotine withdrawal.

'Zeff was right; I never should have taken up smoking.' He admitted to himself ruefully, hoping their captain would return for them soon.

Zoro sat in silence save for his harsh breaths and the pulse of his heart, roaring in his ears like the sea. He took in Sanji's knowledge of the events leading up to their current situation with a thoughtful frown. He remembered bits and pieces of the evening as he listened but his thoughts felt scrambled and his head hurt more the harder he tried to make sense of things.

The mention of the storm did trigger a recollection of leaving his swords in the men's quarters for safekeeping, which was a relief. He'd gotten in the habit since he often ended up pulling their hammers out of the sea during the more severe storms and salt water wasn't great for metal.

"Chopper?" He managed to wheeze out as the cook mentioned how he'd ended up in the water in the first place. That flash was pretty clear. He always tried to keep track of the rest of the crew during a storm, especially their four hammers. He'd seen a large wave wash over their doctor; turning him from his heavy point form to his brain point form as the seawater sapped his strength. When the wave passed, the doctor had been gone from the wooden deck and Zoro was already moving towards the railing intently. The swordsman set the memory aside as things got fuzzy again after that point and focused on breathing without setting off another coughing fit so he could hear the cook's answer.

"Usopp had him when I jumped in to save your sorry green hide." The blonde shrugged. The reindeer was most likely in better shape than they were at the moment.

Zoro nodded and the cook took that as permission to continue his tale; which was now interspersed with liberal insults towards his hair, his weight, his intelligence, and several traits of his that he was fairly certain the black suited man made up on the spot.

"Then we washed up here and you coughed up ten gallons of ocean and slept the rest of the night." Sanji judiciously edited the details, like exactly how long it had taken to get Zoro to divest his lungs of that water, out of his story. Some things were better left unsaid. Still, he couldn't help the involuntary shudder that ran through his lanky spine as he remembered how still and cold and blue Zoro had been. How that thready pulse had stopped under his cold fingers. How he had been terrified it wasn't going to start again.

Zoro eyed the other man suspiciously, something was off about the story but he didn't really think the cook was lying to him. It was more like the narrative had a gap in it and the faint shiver from Sanji spoke of something the blonde didn't like thinking about. The swordsman considered pushing the matter but his throat felt like fire and he didn't feel like starting the fight that would be the best way to get the blonde to talk, so he did something he wouldn't have normally done for the cook. He let it go for the moment.

"Water?" He rasped, trying to turn around to examine their surroundings more closely.

His skull protested the sudden movement and black spots surged into his line of vision. He seemed to hear Sanji yelling at him but it sounded like the cook was miles away rather than a couple of feet from him. With the blackness closing in fast, Zoro did the only thing he could think of to save his pride.

He decided he was taking a nap.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note: Gotta love Zoro logic. Hehehe. Let me know what you think please. Next Chapter: Well...things could be worse, right? Yeah, never say that.


	4. Chapter Four: Scavenging

Guarding the Guardian

Author's Note: New chapter for you all to enjoy. Please let me know what you think of it.

Chapter Four: Scavenging

Sanji caught the green head before it could collide with the ground and further scramble Zoro's already clearly damaged brain.

He grimaced and laid the unconscious man down gently before standing and surveying their new temporary home in the light of day. He wasn't sure how long the others would take to find the way back to them, or if their crew would even be the first ones to find them. This wasn't a big enough island for the log pose to point out so navigating back would be a challenge, even for his beautiful Nami-swan.

'That's if the storm didn't blow them off course...and they manage to guess where we are...and if they even realize we survived...' His mind supplied the grim truths despite his best effort to remain optimistic.

"First rule of being shipwrecked: always stay positive that this could be the day you get rescued." He reminded himself with a sigh as he stretched out his muscles.

"Second rule: take inventory first thing." He muttered, remembering the first thing the old geezer ever taught him; the concept of rationing food.

Shaking off the painful memories of hunger and endless days staring at the empty sea; the blonde brushed the sand from his salt hardened clothes as best he could, and then began carefully exploring the small island. He was pleased to find the scrubby bushes were covered with tiny purple berries. The cook recognized them from one of his ingredient books, though he had never actually eaten them before. He tasted one and grimaced at the sour juice but at least they were edible.

Spirits slightly higher, Sanji then turned his attention to the islands three trees. He found a few coconuts scattered on the ground, obviously blown free in the storm, and he could see several more still high among the leafy palm branches. That was a relief since the island had no other visible source of fresh water that he could find. Drinking seawater was a recipe for madness and death. Satisfied that they at least wouldn't starve anytime soon, he gathered driftwood and debris that had washed ashore since the storm and built a crude pile, to be used as a signal fire if they spotted a ship.

The cook picked a handful of the sour berries and scavenged two coconuts from the ground. Depositing them beneath one of the trees, he wandered back to his still sleeping crewmate. 'If you want to call that sleeping. I say he's out cold.' Something Chopper had said about concussions and sleep not being a safe combination drifted through Sanji's head and he nudged the swordsman's knee with the toe of his shoe.

"Wake up." He ordered. He wasn't overly shocked when Zoro didn't respond; even when he was healthy he could sleep through anything when the mood struck him to do so. "Marimo, get up and eat something before I kick you off my beach." He nudged a bit harder to illustrate the threat.

Zoro grunted as he became aware of the world again and stirred slowly. He had trouble getting his eye to focus properly and for a moment he could have sworn there were two annoying love cooks wavering before him. The idea was too much to bear and Zoro scrunched his eye closed again.

"Hey." The blonde snapped irritably. "Get up idiot. The tide will be coming in soon and I don't feel like explaining to Luffy how you drowned AFTER we made it to an island."

Zoro weighed the pros and cons of ignoring the annoying voice for a little longer, but quickly decided it wasn't worth it. He still took his sweet time stretching out the kinks in his arms and legs before he deigned to reattempt opening his eye and sitting up. It was the principle of the thing; he didn't take orders from the blasted cook.

The swordsman sat up slowly, using all the willpower he possessed to keep from throwing up as his head swam alarmingly and his stomach roiled in response.

He cracked his eye open and glared up at the curly-browed chef, who was watching him like a hawk.

"What?" He growled, hating how his voice came out sounding more like a rasp.

"Food." The blonde replied sharply. "And you need to move away from the ocean before it mistakes you for a piece of seaweed and reclaims you."

Zoro glared but didn't have the breath to argue. His chest felt funny, like it was beneath one of his larger training weights. It made it hard to catch his breath and left him wanting to cough almost constantly.

So instead of arguing himself into a coughing fit, the stubborn swordsman pushed himself to his feet. He swayed there for a few moments like a blade of grass in the breeze before toppling forward like a felled tree.

Strong hands caught his shoulders before he could hit the ground.

"Idiot." The cook grumbled as he shifted his grip to sling one of the half-conscious first mate's arms over his narrow shoulders.

Sanji dragged Zoro off the beach, towards the patch of grass under the tree he had chosen to leave the food near.

"Mm'fine." The swordsman huffed as he regained some of his motor skills and managed to take some of his weight off Sanji's shoulders; though the fact that he didn't make further effort to disentangle himself from the cook's grip was a telling sign about his actual state.

"Sure, and I'm a boxer." The blonde dropped his barely protesting cargo at the foot of the coconut palm; gentler than he would usually have been with the thickheaded moron but clearly things weren't business as usual. Something was seriously not right with the swordsman.

To keep from dwelling on the disturbing lack of fight from his nakama, Sanji busied himself with preparing the food he'd found.

Zoro settled himself against the tree with carefully controlled movements. If the cook hadn't known the stoic idiot so well, he might actually have believed the guy was doing better.

Preparing their food was a matter of carefully cracking open the coconuts on a rock and smashing some of the sour berries up with the coconut juice and pulp. Not up to his usual standards but it was the best anyone could do with the limited supplies on hand.

"Food, Marimo." He announced simply as he sat down beside the swordsman and held out the makeshift coconut shell bowl of purplish-black paste.

Zoro opened his eye blearily and Sanji was a little alarmed at how long it took the other man to focus his gaze on the proffered meal. Finally, the green haired swordsman reached out and took the bowl without a word, sending up more red flags in the chef's mind.

'I would've thought he'd at least have something to say about the quality of the food. Even I know this stuff isn't exactly appealing.'

Zoro began to eat his serving of goop placidly, his eye drifting shut again. To anyone who didn't know him, he might have appeared simply relaxed or at worst tired. However, Sanji could see the tension in his crewmate's shoulders as he fought to breathe evenly, probably trying to avoid another coughing fit. The cook could also hear a disturbing rattle with each careful inhalation. That had gotten worse since the morning and Sanji might not be a doctor but he knew that sound did not bode well. From this angle he could also see the gash on the idiot's stupidly hard head, and even through that ridiculous green excuse for hair it looked nasty. A bit of bone showed through the blood encrusted mossy strands. That couldn't be good...

'Stop it.' The blonde ordered himself. 'There's no point in worrying about him. That skull might as well be made of iron and he's way too stubborn to let a little cold get him down. He'll be fine.' Satisfied with his logic, Sanji focused on eating his own lunch, grimacing at the taste and pondering what he would add to improve it if he had access to his kitchen. 'Honey...chunks of cake maybe...a bit of cream...'

His thoughts were interrupted as the body beside him was wracked by a sharp cough. His gaze immediately darted to the swordsman, expecting another fit, but Zoro seemed to have mastered the impulse to clear his lungs any further. 'Either that or he's holding his breath...' The blonde thought, his eyes narrowing as he watched the green haired man struggle to control his traitorous body.

Finally, the tense muscles relaxed marginally and the tightly clenched eye opened.

Zoro glared as he spotted Sanji watching him. "What?" He growled crankily.

Sanji shrugged it off. "Just waiting to see if you were going to need me to hold your hair again, Marimo." He quipped with false lightness.

Zoro didn't immediately rise to the bait; honestly he wasn't sure he had the breath to properly insult the love cook. His head was actually feeling a bit better as long as he didn't move it, but the weight on his chest was beginning to concern him. He couldn't take a full breath and there was a wetness when he coughed that couldn't be a good thing.

'Probably just residue from the water I inhaled.' He decided before addressing the blonde who was still surreptitiously looking at him in thinly veiled concern.

"Shutup." He replied intelligently before closing his eyes.

Sleep would make him feel better. It worked on stab wounds, so it would work for this too.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note: Zoro's remedy for everything: sleep. Hehehe. Next Chapter: Zoro's usual cure doesn't seem to be working and there's no ship in sight. What can they do?


	5. Chapter Five: Hoping

Guarding the Guardian

Author's Note: Bonus! Two chapters today because I am feeling loved by all the kind reviewers. Most likely won't be another until Monday, unless I go out to the coffee shop tomorrow morning. Maybe... Enjoy and please let me know what you think.

Chapter Five: Hoping

Sanji was a little reassured when his rival didn't let the insult go without at least attempting a response, no matter how lame. Still, it had been too delayed to come from real anger and that was a bit disconcerting. Tormenting Zoro was one of his primary entertainments and he had the feeling the swordsman actually felt the same way, even if neither of them would ever admit it. A Zoro that didn't get angry when he was blatantly insulted wasn't right.

Unable to think of any way to get the swordsman to admit to being ill; at least not one that didn't involve sounding like he actually cared about the green monster's health, Sanji opted to remain silent on the subject.

As Zoro slipped into sleep once more, the sea cook stood and walked to the edge of the water again. He peered out at the horizon; hoping to see the familiar lion figurehead leaping through the waves towards them, though he knew the chances of their crew finding them were slim. Still, Luffy had been known to do the impossible...repeatedly in fact.

'And if they don't find us fast enough, some other ship will come along eventually and then we'll go find them.' The blonde pointedly refused to acknowledge the little voice in his mind that was listing the difficulties in finding any one person or small group on the Grand Line, they'd have trouble just navigating at all without a Log Pose or Eternal Pose.

Sanji sighed and leaned back against the tree. His fingers reaching absently for cigarettes that weren't there before they settled back on his knee and drummed there agitatedly.

He sat there for several hours, staring out at the unbroken horizon and listening to Zoro's congested sounding snores, before he finally gave in to the urge to sleep himself.

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><p>Sanji wasn't certain what woke him as he jolted awake. Night had fallen at some point but it wasn't terribly cold and he spared a moment to be thankful they hadn't washed up on a winter island. The moon was nearly full and it made the calm ocean sparkle like silver. The only sound was the sound of the waves crashing on the beach a few yards away.<p>

His sleepy mind grabbed onto that thought. There was something wrong with that, something missing.

"Zoro?" The blonde's brain finally processed the absence of the swordsman's harsh breathing at his side and he looked around for the missing marimo in mild alarm.

"Oi! Moss for brains!" He called out sharply, knowing the island wasn't big enough for the idiot not to hear him.

"Here...stupid...eye...brow...pervert...cook..." Each word was punctuated with several sharp coughs and the sound of retching. By the time Zoro was done speaking the cook had easily followed the sound to the opposite beach from the one they had been facing.

"You look like crap." He pointed out helpfully, though a bit of concern lingered in his mind despite his best attempts to smother it behind indifference.

Zoro glared halfheartedly up from his position on his knees, lacking the energy to jump up and throttle the chef. "Shutup, Dartboard." He coughed again and the sickening wet sound his lungs produced made Sanji cringe in reluctant sympathy.

He knelt beside the swordsman, careful to avoid the puddle of Zoro's lunch that had apparently been rejected. "What's going on? Is that as bad as it sounds?" He hated how much of that annoying concern crept into his voice.

"Don't know." Zoro paused to ride out another fit. "Not good."

"Yeah, stupid. I can see that much for myself."

"Don't...know how...you see...anything...with half...your...stupid face...covered."

Sanji fought back the urge to grin at the insult. Zoro had apparently decided not to let the fact that he couldn't string three words together without his lungs spasming stop him from their usual verbal sparring. The urge to grin faded as the blonde was struck with the vague and unwelcome idea that his crewmate was doing it simply to reassure him.

"Don't need to use both eyes to see that your sick, Marimo." He scoffed.

Zoro shivered slightly as a light breeze blew in off the sea. "It'll pass." He insisted, managing to suppress the cough that followed with some effort.

"Yeah, well, let's get you back to the tree where I can keep my eye on you." The blonde said lightly, reaching out a hand. "Can't have you getting lost and walking out into the ocean, now can we?"

"I can...walk...on my own." Zoro growled, ignoring the cough that really made him sound a lot less intimidating than usual. He lurched unsteadily to his feet and swayed there. His head had felt slightly better since he'd slept some more, but moving had brought the headache and dizziness back with a vengeance. On top of that, the cough was much worse and the heaviness in his chest was still causing him some concern despite his efforts to ignore it.

The sea cook was watching him with his visible eye narrowed, as if he doubted his ability to actually walk the few steps back to the tree they had chosen for shelter. Well, he'd show him then.

He raised one leaden foot and moved it a few inches before forcing the other foot to follow suit.

'It shouldn't take this much energy to walk. I feel like I've been fighting for hours.' He frowned but stubbornly took another step.

"You do know the tree is the other way, right?" Sanji's bored voice distracted him and he lost his balance and his control over his breathing.

'It feels a lot like drowning...only without the hope of getting out of the water.' He decided sourly, with the part of his brain that still worked as trying to breathe stole most of his concentration and motor control. He dimly realized the cook had grabbed him under his arms as his legs gave out, but he didn't have enough energy to push the support away.

Black spots danced at the edges of his vision as he struggled to pull air into lungs that suddenly seemed to have no room for the stuff, but he finally managed to suppress the urge to cough long enough to draw a few shallow breaths. The blackness receded and he was vaguely aware that Sanji was shifting the grip that had kept him standing into something more conducive to walking. The skinny cook pulled one of his arms over narrow shoulders and caught him around his ribs with the other arm. For a moment he just stood there, attempting with minimal success to catch his breath.

"Move your feet, Green Man. Don't make me have to carry you."

"Not happening." Zoro huffed indignantly.

"Good, let's go." The cook ordered, not liking how much heat was radiating through the green fabric under his palm.

Zoro didn't respond, choosing instead to work on breathing and ordering his uncooperative feet to obey his wishes. It took only a few seconds to shuffle forward and the blonde was quick to turn the small motion into a much larger one. The swordsman ignored the little voice complaining that being half dragged was little better than being carried and continued to stubbornly put one foot in front of the other and call it walking. His pride would allow nothing less and for once his most antagonistic crewmate had no snide comments, for which he was silently grateful.

As they settled back beside the tree, both men shared the same silent thought.

'I hope Luffy finds us soon.'

To Be Continued...

Author's Note: Yay! I really hope I can keep Zoro in character. It's hard with him in such an unusual situation. Next Chapter: Sanji struggles to keep the swordsman alive as Zoro's condition worsens. Will rescue reach them in time?


	6. Chapter Six: Promising

Guarding the Guardian

Author's Note: Bought expensive hot cocoa this morning so I could use the internet to get this chapter up before the weekend. Hurray! At least the cocoa is really good. On with the fic. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. I am really concerned about the characterization in this one.

Chapter Six: Promising

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><p>Dawn found the pair sitting under the meager shelter of the palm tree; one sleeping restlessly while the other kept watch, both for a ship to rescue them and over his crewmate's steadily rising fever.<p>

Sanji's fingers itched to be holding a cigarette, trembling slightly whenever he uncurled them from their clenched state on his raised knees. That minor annoyance didn't stop him from occasionally reaching over to place the back of his hand against the sleeping swordsman's forehead.

He did so again and was alarmed when Zoro not only failed to wake, as he had the first few times, but the green haired man actually leaned into the cool touch slightly. The blonde frowned and stood, tearing a piece from the lining of his jacket and walking the few yards to the sea in order to wet it. He returned to his post and placed the cool cloth on the too warm forehead before sitting down again.

_'Somebody better find us soon.'_ He thought grimly, listening to his rival's labored breathing as he watched the sunrise turn into full daylight. _'Before this idiot cooks the few braincells he has.'_

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><p>Sanji felt the figure beside him stir sluggishly and he looked away from the horizon he had been watching for the better part of the day, hoping his companion had finally decided to wake up.<p>

The gaze that he got in return was glassy with fever. "I'm...s-sorry." The swordsman rasped out, the words slurred and interspersed with wracking coughs. "S-sensei...my...fault..."

Sanji had been confused by the unexpected apology but the swordsman's next words had put the situation in perspective. "You're delirious, idiot." It wasn't terribly surprising considering how high the fever had gotten despite his refreshing the cold cloth several times.

"No...sorry...Kuina...my fault..." Zoro insisted, grabbing the blonde's arm in a grip that would likely have caused serious damage to a normal person.

Sanji grimaced and pried the too warm fingers loose, that was going to bruise. "Okay, um...I forgive you." He said awkwardly, hoping to placate whatever memory the fever had brought out.

It seemed to work, as Zoro settled back against the tree again, exhausted by the outburst. "I promised..." He mumbled as sleep claimed him again.

The blonde pondered the odd conversation thoughtfully. He didn't actually know much about Zoro's past, before he'd become a pirate hunter and eventually a pirate. The swordsman had never mentioned the name Kuina, or any other woman in his past that Sanji could recall, and he made it his business to remember women.

_'Though, from the sound of things it isn't a happy story.'_ He considered, remembering the sorrowful look the green haired man had had as he struggled to apologize for whatever guilt his fever addled brain had dredged up.

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><p>A hand flung out and clipped Sanji on the side of the head the next time Zoro woke. Only his quick reflexes had saved him from taking a direct blow to the face and he glared at his crewmate menacingly.<p>

"What was that for Marimo?!" He snarled before the situation registered.

"You can't...beat me...not...gonna...lose anymore..." The swordsman was ranting as his arms flailed in a battle against imaginary enemies.

Sanji was actually rather grateful the idiot didn't have his swords on him or he likely would have had worse than a bruised cheek, if Zoro's clenched teeth were any indication. The chef sighed.

"They're gone, idiot." He said tiredly. "You won. Go back to sleep."

Zoro hesitated, his confused gaze casting about for a few moments warily, before seeming to regain a bit of lucidity. "Dartboard?" He asked, seeming genuinely unsure of the identity of his companion.

Sanji gritted his teeth against the agitation that came with having not had a smoke in over twenty-four hours and reminded himself that Zoro couldn't help being more of an idiot than usual. "Yeah, Marimo. It's just me."

"Mihawk?" The swordsman was looking around again.

The blonde supposed that made sense, if you were Zoro. "Not here. Get some sleep. I'll let you know if he drops by."

Strangely, that sarcastic promise seemed to satisfy the swordsman and he quickly slipped back into a restless sleep.

Sanji scooted a few feet away, in case his delirious nakama took up the fight against the shichibukai swordsman again, before resuming his vigil.

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><p>Zoro woke twice more over the course of the day, each time less coherent than the last as the fever raged out of control.<p>

A pained groan pulled Sanji back from the beach where he had gone to wet the scrap of cloth for the swordsman's head again. It didn't seem to be helping but he couldn't think of anything else to do.

He walked back and found the first mate awake again and muttering something unintelligible that only might have included real words.

The cook stood back for a moment to make sure this wasn't going to be another violent outburst before he approached the dazed looking man.

"Sanji?"

The blonde was shocked to hear his own name and for a moment he thought the fever may have broken but a quick brush of his hand over the swordsman's skin as he applied the cool damp cloth dashed that hope.

"Yeah."

"I'm...gonna...die, huh?" The glassy eye was more lucid than it had been in hours as it locked with Sanji's own.

The cook felt his stomach settle somewhere in his feet but he smothered that dread with anger. "Of course not, moss for brains! How stupid can you be, to say something like that after all the trouble I went to in order to save your sorry life?!"

Zoro took the yelling silently and waited for the outburst to end. "It's okay...you did...your best. Not...your...fault." He offered evenly, leaning forward slightly as his body was wracked with a fresh wave of coughing as he forced the words out.

"Shut up!" The blonde barely restrained himself from attempting to kick that resigned look right off the swordsman's face. "You are not allowed to die, Marimo!"

"Sometimes...even...the strongest...people...can't...help it...baka cook." His gaze grew distant as he spoke and Zoro's eye drifted shut as he finished speaking. He settled back against the tree again and his head lolled a bit.

For a moment Sanji was terrified beyond reason that the idiot was going to actually die right at that moment but the narrow eye was forced open again after a few agonizing seconds.

"Tell Luffy..."

"Tell him yourself, darn it!"

"Tell him...I'm sorry...I couldn't...fight this..." Zoro gasped out carefully before coughing again, clutching his chest and curling into a ball as best he could.

"Idiot..." Sanji growled out as he moved to try and help in any way he could. "You have to live. You're going to be the best swordsman in the world. How can that happen if you die from a stupid cold? Besides, Chopper needs you to watch out for him...a-and Usopp...and...well, I can handle watching out for Nami-san and Robin-chan but Luffy would be a huge pain in the butt if I let you die and Nami-san might make me pay off your debt and Franky will cry and Brook has already lost too many of his nakama. You can't do that to him! And...and who the heck am I going to fight with if you aren't around? Luffy won't take it seriously and I can't fight with Robin-chan and everybody else backs down when I threaten them..."

Sanji was pretty sure he was rambling but the swordsman had grown quiet and seemed to be listening, so he let the torrent of words continue. "I've seen you keep fighting with more blood on the outside of your body than you had left in your veins. I've seen you keep fighting even after you admitted you knew you couldn't win. I've seen you survive injuries that should have killed you ten times over!" He shuddered at the memories of Thriller Bark, and how close they had come to losing their thickheaded first mate then. "I've seen the results of you trying to cut off your own feet with the intention of fighting without them, which was insane by the way...I did tell you that, right?"

He didn't wait for a reply from the wheezing swordsman. "You may be an idiot, and your hair might be an affront to the natural order of things, and you're rude to Nami-san, and you get lost trying to find your way from one end of the ship to the other...but one thing I have always been forced, against my will, to respect about you is that you do not back down from a fight once you start it." He was breathing nearly as hard as the man in front of him as he lightly shook the silent swordsman. "This fight started as soon as I dragged your sorry green head out of the ocean!"

Zoro blinked slowly, his fevered mind trying to process the words that had just been thrown at him with all the force of a kick to the face.

"You promised Luffy you'd never lose again...and...and what about Kuina?" The cook took a stab in the dark, since he didn't actually know who the girl was that had been haunting so many of the green-haired man's fever dreams. "You promised her too, right?"

The glassy eye widened at the name and the sudden catch in his breathing had nothing to do with the liquid filling his lungs. "Kuina..."

"Yeah, so you cannot give up no matter how crappy you feel. Do you hear me? You try to say crap about dying again and I will kill you myself."

Another coughing fit shook Zoro's frame as he drew a breath to reply. The cook silently helped hold his crewmate up until the spell subsided. Zoro's arms had wrapped protectively around his torso and his face contorted in pain as he coughed up a mouthful of disturbingly dark colored mucus.

Sanji was disgusted but at the same time he almost wished he had paid closer attention the other times the swordsman had coughed something up over the course of the day.

"How long has that gunk you've been spitting out had blood in it?" He asked tiredly.

Zoro shrugged wearily and carefully leaned back against the tree. Honestly, he wasn't even sure how long they'd been on the island at this point.

Sanji seemed to realize that and huffed in annoyance before adding the new and disturbing development to the list of things he couldn't actually do a darn thing about right now. He still had a more important question that needed answering.

"So, do we have an understanding, Marimo?" He asked seriously.

Zoro dredged up the cook's previous question with some effort before answering slowly. "No dying...got it." He forced his eye open and sought out the blonde's steady gaze with his own bleary one. "Promise."

Sanji grinned, despite the seriousness of the situation, because Zoro didn't break his promises. "Good, now get some sleep, Lazy Idiot."

Zoro didn't respond. He had already obeyed before the instruction could be given.

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><p>To Be Continued...<p>

Author's Note: Wow, that was a really tough chapter. Delirium and staying in character makes for a fine line to walk. Hope I did okay. Oh, and before anyone yells at me about Zoro resigning himself to the likelihood of imminent death, please remember he has done so several times before: his first fight with Mihawk, the wax incident with Mr. 3 (because we must focus on making a cool pose if we're going to die and become a statue...priorities you know), Kuma at Thriller Bark, Kuma again at Saobody (I don't count the admiral there because being knocked out and nearly squashed is not the same as accepting death), and there may be others. I think his history with Kuina gives him a different perspective on death. He knows you can be really strong and something as innocuous as stumbling on a flight of stairs can still instantly end your life. Some things cannot be fought. He knows this and accepts it as part of life. That doesn't mean he won't try to survive for the sake of his nakama. Okay, ramble over. Please let me know what you think. Next Chapter: Rescued at last! Or...are they?


	7. Chapter Seven: Waiting

Guarding the Guardian

Author's Note: Hurray! New Chapter as promised! Thanks for all the lovely reviews. I will reply to them as I have time today. Please review! I won't make you wait any longer now, on with the fic!

Chapter Seven: Waiting

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><p>Sanji wasn't surprised when he tried to wake the swordsman a little later and got no response.<p>

He took up his vigil; watching the horizon with renewed determination. As night fell, he paced around the small circumference of the island in order to ensure no ship could pass him without being noticed and to make sure he wouldn't doze off. He checked on Zoro frequently but the swordsman failed to show any further signs of life beyond his ragged breathing and the heat pouring off his skin.

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><p>Finally, just after dawn, he spotted a smudge on the horizon and the cook held his breath as it began to draw closer. He resisted the urge to light the signal fire as soon as he was sure it was a ship and not his imagination. The closer he let the ship get, the better the chance that the signal would be seen and understood.<p>

However, as the ship drew nearer to the tiny island, another problem presented itself in the form of the stylized seagull emblazoned on the vessel's white sails.

"Of course. It had to be marines." The cook scowled and wished for the millionth time for a smoke to soothe his frazzled nerves and stop the tremors in his hands.

He walked back to Zoro and glared wearily down at the unconscious swordsman. "Oi! You okay with getting arrested today, Marimo?" He asked dryly, not really expecting an answer.

The swordsman slept on, every small breath a painful sounding wheeze and his features drawn.

"Yeah, that's what I figured." The cook sighed before walking resolutely to the signal fire he'd built and pulling out his lighter. The small device flared to life with the ease of too much practice and Sanji stared at the tiny flame for just a moment before he leaned down and lit the dry grass he had piled at the base of the driftwood pyre.

"Hmph, well we can count on marines to want us healthy enough to publicly execute." He muttered morbidly. "At least if the bounty's big enough to draw attention."

No worries there, Zoro's bounty was pretty impressive. Sanji's own was not quite as high and there was a decent chance he wouldn't be recognized at all if they relied solely on his wanted poster...although this might be a good opportunity to do something about that crappy portrait.

The blonde got the fire burning merrily; glad the sun was up to highlight the column of smoke rising into the sky. His decision now firmly set, the chef turned pirate ran to the beach facing the ship and began waving like crazy at the ship. After all, that's what castaways were supposed to do, no matter how much worse the identity of the rescuers could potentially make things.

_'Maybe they won't recognize him without his swords...'_ He thought with rare optimism, before laughing grimly as he continued to flag down the battleship. "Yeah, the Marimo is real inconspicuous...not to mention I doubt he'd think to lie if they came right out and asked him his name...not that he's awake for them to ask him anything. Idiot."

The ship was turning towards them and Sanji flopped onto his butt on the sand in relief and resignation as he waited for their inevitable arrest.

"Heh, maybe they'll at least let me have a last cigarette."

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><p>Sanji stood on the beach as a rowboat was dragged halfway onto the sand by the four men who had been sent from the battleship to investigate his signal. His hands were shoved in his pockets as he walked calmly over to them, hoping they didn't connect him with his crappy wanted poster.<p>

"Oi, am I glad to see you guys." He offered with a slightly forced smile. "My crewmate and I went overboard in a storm and we've been stuck here for a couple days. He's not doing well, took in half the Grand Line before I could fish him out." The explanation came easily enough, since it was true, but the easy posture and the smile were harder to maintain as the marines eyed him with slight suspicion.

"Where was your ship headed?" A tall, dark haired man with lieutenant's insignia on his uniform stepped forward.

"Not sure of the name of the place, we're just following the pose. That way, I think." He gestured vaguely in the direction they had been sailing when they passed the deserted island on the Sunny. There was no point in hiding such information, if the marines chose to go after Luffy it would just get them back to the Sunny more quickly.

"Ah, you're in luck. Your ship is probably heading for Sparrow's Crest Island. It's only a couple days from here and we need supplies anyway. We can swing by and drop you off." The tall man seemed genuinely pleased that they could help.

"Great." Sanji grinned, knowing that the hospitable attitude was probably going to change as soon as they spotted Zoro.

"Well, let's see about your friend and get you off this island, Mister..."

Sanji ignored the blatant fishing for his name and didn't correct the assumption that he and his crewmate were friends, though it wasn't a word he'd use to describe his relationship with Zoro, at least not out loud. "Yeah, he's really sick. I haven't been able to get his fever to break and he started coughing up blood sometime yesterday."

The lieutenant blanched at that and seemed to forget all about the question of names for the moment. "Then we should hurry and get him back to the ship. We didn't bring the doctor with us."

Sanji nodded and quickly led the small group of marines to Zoro's shivering form slumped beneath the tree. Two men rushed forward with a stretcher they had dragged from the supplies in the rowboat and the chef was desperately hopeful that perhaps these were marines that didn't spend much time looking over wanted posters.

Until one of the men balked with a strangled cry of terror as he took a look at the nearly comatose pirate.

The lieutenant had been engrossed in giving orders to the other marines but his attention was caught by his subordinate's yelp. "What is it, man? Is he dead?"

Sanji took a protective step towards Zoro, knowing exactly why the young marine had reacted that way, and it had nothing to do with the green haired man's health.

"N-no S-sir...it-it's R-R-Roronoa Zoro!" The marine stammered out, backing away like he expected the infamous pirate to suddenly rise up and kill them all.

"WHAT?!" The lieutenant moved forward to investigate, drawing his pistol nervously.

Sanji sighed and stepped smoothly between the officer and his fellow Strawhat. "I was really hoping you wouldn't notice that." He said tiredly, a small weary smile tugging the corner of his mouth upwards.

"What the..." The lieutenant trailed off and took a step back from the blonde, bringing his weapon to bear on the conscious pirate instead of the one on the ground. Smart man. "Then you...you're..!"

Sanji kept his hands in his pockets, seeming utterly nonplussed by the gun in his face. "Pirates." He supplied calmly. "And we're surrendering so you can put that away, unless you marines shoot unarmed prisoners without a trial now." Of course, unless they chained his feet together, the chef wasn't actually unarmed but he was guessing they still hadn't figured out who he was.

The lieutenant seemed to regain a bit of his composure. "Take these men into custody. Secure their hands." He ordered sharply.

Sanji glared as one of the grunts approached him with a length of rope and the young man faltered. "Not until you agree that your doctor will still treat this bastard's illness."

"Of course." The lieutenant nodded grimly. "The government will want him healthy for the trial. It looks bad to the public otherwise."

Sanji would have laughed at how closely those words echoed his own thoughts from just a little while earlier but the situation wasn't really that humorous now that he was truly in the middle of it. Instead he just nodded and stepped aside, allowing the stretcher bearers to tentatively approach Zoro and holding his hands behind him so they could be tied.

_'Not that that will do them much good if I decide to escape.'_ He comforted himself with the thought but one glance at Zoro's inert form, as two men rolled the now bound swordsman none too gently onto the canvas stretched between the poles, told him he wouldn't be trying anything like that right away. He'd have to trust these marines, just until Zoro was well enough to break out with him. There was no way he was leaving the idiot behind to be executed no matter what personal differences they might have with each other. The Strawhat Pirates did not abandon their nakama no matter how dangerous the situation.

"You never did tell me your name." The lieutenant said, obviously feeling a bit more secure now that the dangerous prisoners were restrained.

The blonde shrugged, deciding it might be best to keep that information to himself for now. "Does it matter? I've already confessed to being a pirate and I'm sure you know which captain I follow, since I keep such interesting company." He grinned with a small amount of insolence as he gestured with his head at Zoro. "I'll let you figure out the rest on your own."

The lieutenant frowned but didn't rise to the bait. "Get them to the boat." He ordered simply. The stretcher bearers scrambled to obey while the remaining man hesitated nervously; casting apprehensive looks at the calmly waiting pirate.

Sanji snorted and followed after his nakama at a leisurely pace, not waiting for the man to work up enough courage to order him into motion. It rankled to go along peacefully but he wasn't willing to let the stretcher out of his sight.

_'I hope you appreciate this, Marimo.'_ He thought at the pale and shivering swordsman ahead of him as they neared the beach, where the dark haired lieutenant was already contacting the ship via a baby dendenmushi.

To Be Continued...

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><p>Author's Note: Eh...well, at least they aren't stranded anymore. Ehehehe. Please let me know what you think of it. Next Chapter: They've made it off the island, but is a Navy battleship really an improvement? Will the marines even keep their word and treat Zoro?<p> 


	8. Chapter Eight: Surrendering

Guarding the Guardian

Author's Note: Extra chapter today! Feel the love, people! Please show me love in return with your reviews. Thanks!

Chapter Eight: Surrendering

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><p>Sanji was unceremoniously hauled from the rowboat once it had been lifted by pulleys up to the level of the Navy ship's deck. He went along with the large marine sergeant dragging him and didn't give the horde of heavily armed soldiers facing him the satisfaction of seeing him fall over, despite the man's blatant attempt to make him lose his balance with a final shove. He was left standing in the center of a loose semicircle of marines as Zoro was carried from the rowboat and deposited to the side by a couple of nervous looking ensigns. The pair practically tripped over each other as they fled into the relative safety of the larger group of marines.<p>

_'Heh. Idiots.'_ He smirked at them all, just to further intimidate the already nervous looking ones. It would be helpful to know which were likely to stand and fight later and which ones he and Zoro would probably be able to terrify into submission. The latter group was smaller than he would have liked but this was the New World so it wasn't surprising to find that the marines were much more battle tested here.

"Captain Shokley, Sir! I have successfully returned with the prisoners, Roronoa Zoro and an unidentified member of the Strawhat Pirates." The lieutenant who had led the rescue party saluted sharply as he reported.

"Well done, Lieutenant Farris." A slightly heavyset older man grinned in satisfaction at his subordinate before turning to the blonde pirate with a scowl. "You there! Your name!"

Sanji snorted at the barked order, his eyes drifting to Zoro; who had been left lying on the stretcher on the deck. His nakama still wasn't getting any sort of medical treatment and that bothered the cook more than all the weapons trained on him. "I'll make you a deal, Marine." He drawled slowly. "Once he wakes up, I'll let you know exactly who I am."

The captain blinked at the audaciousness of the prisoner; shooting a dubious glance at the barely breathing swordsman. "You aren't exactly in a position to bargain, young man."

Sanji shrugged in a show of nonchalance and calmly stood his ground. "Doesn't matter. He gets medical treatment or we're leaving now. Those were the terms of our surrender."

"No marine would agree to..." The Captain shifted his gaze to Farris who nodded sheepishly. "I see. Very well. I suppose we can't have the prisoner dying en route to Sparrow's Crest. We should be able to secure them properly at the base there."

Sanji's ears perked at the name of their destination. Nami-swan had been going there! If they timed things right, they could hopefully catch up with the others.

"Take them to the brig and send for the doctor at once!" The captain ordered brusquely. "I'll send someone down later to discuss things further with you, pirate scum." He added with a sneer to the blonde pirate.

Sanji smiled his most condescending smile, knowing from the man's tone that when he said 'discuss' it likely meant he was going to have someone come attempt to beat answers out him, but the cook was much too proud to let any sign of distress show. "Certainly, and if Zoro's awake by then; I'll be happy to talk to them."

The captain was left sputtering for a response as the pair of pirates was escorted away.

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><p>As far as jails went, it wasn't the worst one he'd ever seen, Sanji mused. The brig was small; just a single cell, only about six feet square. He didn't mind, as it meant the marines couldn't safely separate the pair of pirates.<p>

_'Though it could be more comfortable.'_ He thought in annoyance as he tugged futilely against the iron manacles they'd locked his wrists into.

Sanji had been cornered into agreeing to allow himself to be securely restrained before the marines would send the doctor in to see to Zoro. If the moss head had shown any sign of improving on his own, the cook would have balked but Zoro had been barely breathing at that point so there had really been no choice. Now he was chained, standing against one of the brig's metal walls, with both arms secured by thick iron manacles at shoulder level on either side of him. The restraints seemed to have been welded into the wall itself; meaning they didn't budge no matter how hard he pulled and they were just a little to small to pull his hands through. He'd merely succeeded in bruising his wrists before he'd mostly given that up for the time being.

Still, that wasn't the most annoying part of the situation. No, the worst part was the set of matching manacles that clamped his ankles to the wall as well. That could prove to be a problem when it came time to leave.

He sighed and glanced over at the cause of his troubles.

Zoro was laid out on a narrow canvas cot to his right, still unconscious and covered with a thin blanket. Short chains ran from the floor to each of the swordsman's limbs and they'd tried to put a heavy iron collar on the dangerous prisoner as well but the ship's doctor had forbidden that measure as it would restrict Zoro's already troubled breathing. The elderly medic had cut off the guards' protests by stating that the health of his patient was more important than their stupid regulations. Sanji had the feeling Chopper would have liked the guy, if not for them being on opposite sides of the law.

The old man had also answered Sanji's questions about his nakama without any hint of fear and Sanji had to respect that as well.

From what the cook could understand amid the medical jargon, Zoro had a pretty severe concussion, a nasty infected cut on his scalp, two broken ribs, and severe pneumonia. However, those were secondary concerns as the swordsman was also suffering from something the doctor called acute respiratory distress syndrome. Some blood vessels in his lungs had ruptured or something and that's why he wasn't able to breathe properly. The old man said he was actually amazed the young pirate had survived for as long as Sanji said they had, without proper treatment.

Sanji had forced a grin and informed the old man that his nakama was much too big of an idiot to know when he should die. He pushed away the memory of his last conversation with the Strawhat first mate that proved that statement false. He had Zoro's promise and that was enough reassurance to outweigh the grim prognosis the old doctor offered him.

The grey haired man had secured an oxygen mask over the unconscious pirate's mouth and nose to help provide his damaged lungs more air to work with. At the blonde's persistent questioning, the doctor reluctantly admitted to the blonde that the odds of survival were low, even without the other injuries and pneumonia causing complications. All they could do was treat the symptoms and wait. The elderly marine had then wrapped Zoro's damaged ribs as tightly as he dared without restricting the ragged breaths the swordsman was managing. He'd disinfected the gash that was half hidden in that ridiculous green hair and wrapped a bandage around that too. Finally, he'd injected the swordsman with several different colored liquids, gamely informing the warily watching blonde what each vial was for; fever reducer, something for the infection, medicine to suppress the coughing, one for pain, another to help him relax so he could breathe more easily.

Now it was simply a waiting game for Sanji. "Oi. You better keep that promise, Marimo." He warned the sleeping man. _'Because getting out of this on my own is gonna be a pain in the butt.'_

* * *

><p>To Be Continued...<p>

Author's Note: A.R.D.S. is a real thing and it can be a dangerous side effect of near drowning, pneumonia, infection, and/or head injury. Zoro has all of the above going on right now. I'm aware my description of it is not terribly scientific but it was what Sanji got out of the doctor's explanation and it is accurate enough for the purpose of the story. That's part of why I did that whole scene from the cook's memory, so I wouldn't have to bore you all with medical...stuff. That and I was afraid I would make a mess of it. So...Next Chapter: The navy has questions and Sanji isn't inclined to answer them yet. This is going to get ugly.


	9. Chapter Nine: Bleeding

Guarding the Guardian

Author's Note: WARNING! This chapter contains a little bit of torture. I try not to be unnecessarily graphic but I felt you should be warned. On the plus side I did not want to drag it out over two chapters so this one is extra long. Enjoy and please let me know what you think. Thanks!

Chapter Nine: Bleeding

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><p>The curly-browed chef wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep but he awoke to the sound of the key in the cell door. A quick glance at Zoro showed little change but he thought maybe the swordsman's color was a bit better.<p>

He turned his attention from his sleeping nakama to the door, just as it swung open to reveal a short, balding man with an altogether too eager grin on his sharp features.

"Ah, Mister Pirate. I hope I didn't wake you." The man practically cooed, his voice oozing with sarcasm. "I just came down to have a little chat with you about some things we'd like to know."

Sanji narrowed his eyes at the man; he knew trouble when he saw it. "Well, you can wait." He announced calmly. "I told your captain I'd talk when my...friend is awake."

"Ah, but you see, the captain isn't a very patient man and the doctor says your friend most likely won't make it through the night even with his best efforts so..."

"He'll make it. He's much too stubborn to die." The cook interrupted with a confident smirk.

The short man scowled for a moment; clearly not used to being interrupted, before he smiled again. This time it was colder than before. "We'll see about that." He shrugged off the subject as inconsequential and pressed on. "Regardless, you will answer my questions." He gestured and a pair of marines that had been waiting in the hall pushed a cart into the room.

Sanji carefully controlled his expression as he eyed the little man and the wicked implements he was now fondling. The eager gleam in the guy's eyes promised pain and the cook fought the urge to sigh. It looked like he was in for an unpleasant evening...or was it morning? The darn brig had no windows. It didn't matter anyway. There wasn't much fear left in Sanji after two years in his own personal version of hell, and pain wasn't the way to bring that fear out. He was glad these idiot marines didn't know that.

The weasely man was looking over his tools, like an artist choosing his brush. He finally selected a set of brass knuckles and approached the bound pirate.

"Let's see if you're as tough as you seem to think you are..."

Sanji had just enough time to brace himself before the man's fist plowed into his stomach. The wall behind him left him no room to move away from the blow so, weak as it was it still hurt. He gritted his teeth to prevent the grunt that tried to escape and then smirked. "What was that? Are you trying to tickle me?" He asked boredly.

The next several blows to his torso came in rapid succession and Sanji wasn't able to control all of his reactions as he had the wind knocked out of him.

Satisfied for the moment, the interrogator grinned. "Now, we'll start with something easy. What is your name?"

Sanji forced a smirk onto his face. "Guess." He taunted breathlessly.

The next blow caught him across the side of the face, drawing a line of blood on his cheek.

"I see you want to be difficult. That's fine with me." The interrogator wandered back to his cart and picked up a thin bladed knife. "Let's see if a different approach might make you more inclined to cooperate, shall we?"

The blade slashed down the front of Sanji's dress shirt, drawing a shallow line of fire along the skin beneath as well, and the man ripped the shredded remains open to bare the blonde's pale chest. A small rivulet of blood was trailing sluggishly from the wound.

"Crap, I liked this shirt." Sanji said, scowling.

"What is your name?" The man asked again, ignoring the comment.

The pirate fell stubbornly silent.

The smile on his enemy's face was decidedly cruel as he dragged the razor sharp blade slowly across the bare flesh. Then he did it again...and again. The cook paled and closed his eyes but otherwise showed no sign of pain.

It took several more precise cuts before the visible eye snapped open again as Sanji realized the pattern of the knife wounds wasn't random. The man was actually writing on him like some sort of macabre form of art! He squinted down at the wounds, trying to make out the kanji characters through the streaming blood. When he realized what it said, he was livid but didn't dare open his mouth for fear he'd give his tormentor the satisfaction of making some kind of noise.

"Justice." He gritted out through clenched teeth as the man finally finished his grisly work. "Is this really what justice looks like to you, you sick freak?" He snarled as his attacker stepped back to inspect the gory graffiti critically.

"It's actually one of my better jobs. Normally they squirm so much, you can't really read it when I'm done." The man complimented him with a laugh that held no humor at all. He dropped the knife onto the cart and wiped his hands on a stained cloth. "Shall we continue, or are you ready to cooperate?"

Sanji scowled murderously. His stomach muscles ached from the beating and the shallow knife wounds burned like the jerk had dipped the weapon in acid. Just breathing sent waves of agony through the mutilated skin.

"Guess not." The man grinned and went back to his cart for something else. "Wonderful, it's no fun when they break too quickly."

"Glad you're entertained. I'm going to kill you." The cook finally managed in something resembling a normal voice, though it was tight with pain and dark with the promise of retribution.

The man laughed again and brandished his new choice of weapon gleefully; a small brown sack. For a moment the blonde was confused until the marine poured a measure of white crystals from the bag into his hand and approached his prey.

'Crap.' The blonde realized what was about to happen. He wouldn't be much of a cook if he couldn't recognize something as simple as salt. He had only a moment to process the situation. Then he was biting his tongue to keep from screaming as the man actually rubbed the salt into the open wounds on his chest and stomach. Fire blossomed through the shallow injuries, making them feel much more severe than they actually were. Sanji didn't dare even try to take a breath as he fought to avoid giving the sadistic creep the satisfaction of hearing him cry out.

Finally, his tormentor paused and stepped back, an artificially polite smile on his face as he studied the young pirate. "Feeling more cooperative yet? Shall I move on to more drastic measures?" The man's smile turned predatory. "If you just tell me your name, I'll stop for right now. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Gonna...kill...you." The blonde gasped out through the waves of agony still emanating from his wounds.

"Baka cook..." A rough voice cut in, before being interrupted by a flurry of coughs that was quickly stifled by the swordsman.

"Zoro!?" The blonde looked past the marines and found himself staring at his nakama...and Zoro was staring back.

He looked tired, more tired than Sanji had ever seen him when there wasn't massive blood loss involved, and his breathing was still far too fast and shallow behind the oxygen mask; but his eye was focused quite firmly on the situation across the room from his cot and he looked decidedly annoyed.

"How...did we...end up...with...freaking marines!?" The swordsman managed to gasp out between coughs.

"We were stranded, you idiot! This happened to be the first ship that came along!" Sanji glared, using the anger to focus through the pain.

"Why...didn't...you wait...for the...next one...Dartboard!?" The effort to speak was clearly costing the swordsman, as he had paled a bit and his breathing was even more ragged when he finished. He struggled to dislodge the mask over his face, thinking it was somehow hampering his breathing.

"Because, I didn't want to be the only one they picked up, Marimo bastard!" The truth slipped out before the blonde could stop it and he snapped his jaw shut with an audible click before he caught what the green haired man was trying to do. "Don't take that thing off, moron. The doctor said it's helping you get more air into your lungs."

"I...don't...like...it." The swordsman growled, or rather, tried to growl.

"I don't care! You take that off and I'll..."

"You'll...what?" The single eye narrowed at him mockingly.

"Excuse me!" Another voice cut in on the escalating argument.

Both pirates seemed to suddenly remember that they weren't alone as they turned identical glares on the marine interrogator. He took and involuntary step back.

"What!?" They chorused furiously, though Zoro's exclamation was followed by several wet sounding coughs.

"I wasn't done with my questions." He snapped peevishly; stepping towards the blonde with a fresh handful of salt. "Now what is your name, pirate?"

Sanji tensed.

"Tell him." The green haired man ordered wearily, managing to get the words out without triggering further spasms.

"No, stupid Marimo." The blonde growled, his attention shifting from the marine to his nakama again. "I told them I'd talk when you woke up but they wouldn't wait. Now I'm not telling them sh...Aarrghh!" His words were cut off as fresh pain blossomed in his chest and he couldn't bite back a scream with his mouth already open to speak.

"Sanji." Zoro supplied, careful to control his breathing. "Name's...Sanji." The cook could be angry at him but it wouldn't do their chances of escaping any good if the idiot was tortured to death.

The interrogator's eyes widened and he ceased his work. "Black Leg Sanji?!" He asked with some alarm.

Sanji forced a grin that made him look more than slightly demonic as he peered at the man through the fall of his hair. "Maybe you guys could get a better picture for my poster, while I'm here." He managed to say evenly, after a few seconds to get his body under control. "Now that you know who I am, you should know I was serious when I said I was going to kill you."

The short, balding marine took a step back from the bound pirates, before seeming to remember they were completely secure. "I think you'll find that very difficult in your current state, Black Leg Sanji. I am going to inform the Captain that we've actually got two of Strawhat's highest bounties on board." The cruel grin crept back onto his face though his eyes showed fear. "I'll be back later to discuss the location of the rest of your crew."

The marine made a hasty retreat from the cell and silence reigned for several minutes between the two pirates.

"You okay...cook?" Zoro finally broke the stillness reluctantly.

"I'm not the one who was coughing up blood and trying to cook his own brain cells!" The blonde shot back with a mixture of irritation and bravado that would let the swordsman know he wasn't too seriously hurt. "You can't string a sentence together without hacking up a lung and you're asking about me. Moss-brained idiot."

"Hmph...Least...I wasn't...getting...filleted!" The green haired man growled back, rising to the bait to show he was going to be fine. He tried pulling surreptitiously against his chains but it seemed his strength had temporarily deserted him and the heavy iron links didn't give.

"Yeah, for once!" Sanji snorted as he calmed himself with some effort. "Keh, stupid marines have no idea who they're dealing with. I'll live." The blonde shrugged, though the small motion made him wince as he skin on his chest pulled. Not eager to continue discussing his own injuries, the blonde shifted the conversation back to the other man. "Well, you're not having imaginary battles or talking to people who aren't actually here. I guess whatever that doctor gave you for the fever must be working."

Zoro thought that over before shrugging and relaxing back onto his cot. "Guess so...What doctor?" The green haired man was beginning to think he might be getting the hang of talking without setting off his rebellious lungs.

Sanji snorted. "The navy doctor. You'd been comatose for nearly an entire day by then. What's the last thing you remember?"

Zoro seemed to be thinking it over. "It's kinda fuzzy...eating...something...tasted like crap..."

Sanji fumed. "You try doing better with what I had to work with, Marimo!"

Zoro closed his eye wearily and ignored the outburst as he struggled to make sense of his jumbled recollections of the island. "No...I remember...you made me...promise...not to die." The eye opened again and regarded the cook curiously, as if unsure if that was real at all.

Sanji averted his face so the fall of his hair hid his embarrassed expression. "Still expect you to keep that one, Mosshead." He said gruffly. "We're less than a day from the island the others were heading to and Sunny would've had to be restocked before they could go anywhere else. We'll break loose once we get a little closer, steal a boat, and hope we'll be able to catch them there."

Zoro didn't voice the many ways that plan could fail. Luffy could have turned back to search for them or the log pose could've set and the crew might have moved on to a hopefully safer harbor, if the marine presence on the upcoming island was strong enough. It was possible they were simply expected to catch up, though he doubted that very much, knowing their captain as well as he did.

Most disturbingly for the battle hardened warrior, Zoro was pretty certain he'd be in trouble in any sort of real fight. Until he managed to get his breathing under control, he was likely to hyperventilate and collapse at the first attempt at exertion. It was all he could do to lay still and breathe. He wasn't going to admit that problem to the cook though. Just like the swordsman could see that Sanji's feet were bound in a position that wouldn't allow him to kick his way free; he was certain the cook had an idea of how much trouble they'd be in if he had to actually fight.

They had to hope that luck would be with them. He'd risked plenty on his luck in the past so it didn't seem worth worrying over now. It didn't matter what happened, either they'd catch up with the rest of their nakama, Luffy would find them first, or they'd die trying to escape. Either way he was going to need to be able to move when the time came.

Zoro closed his eye and settled down, appearing to nap. Actually, he was trying to meditate and focus on his breathing. Taking in measured breaths and letting them out slowly. Trying to find the exact point where a breath was too deep and set off the spasms that took away his control. Mind over matter...in his mind, being sick didn't matter. Now he only needed to convince the rest of him.

Sanji watched as the Strawhat first mate seemingly dozed off, peering through the fall of his hair so the idiot wouldn't notice him watching. Even in the middle of being tortured, the cook couldn't deny he'd felt a surge of relief on hearing that gruff, annoying voice again. Despite his knowledge of just how strong and stubborn the swordsman could be; the grim odds the navy doctor had outlined for him had weighed heavily on his mind. Seeing the moss haired idiot awake and making sense again, at least as much sense as the overgrown marimo ever made, was almost as soothing to the cook's frazzled nerves as a pack of smokes.

Waiting several minutes to make sure his nakama was actually asleep, the blonde finally relaxed enough to let out a small hiss of pain as he eyed the damage to his chest and stomach. 'Looks like Marimo won't be the only one with scars after this.' He thought sourly. 'Good thing I don't have his habit of running around bare-chested.' He snorted. He wouldn't want anyone to get the idea that he and Zoro had anything in common, after all. It would totally ruin all their hard work at finding the careful balance in their dysfunctional partnership.

Sanji sighed in disgust at the hateful red lines carved into his flesh and closed his eyes, hoping they'd hurt less if he didn't look at them. It didn't help much so after a few minutes he opened his eyes again and set about silently plotting possible methods of escape.

* * *

><p>To Be Continued...<p>

Author's Note: Wow, that was hard to write. I don't usually do gruesome but the marines in OP are pretty brutal (not all of them, of course, hence the doctor) and Sanji is a stubborn idiot. It's why he fits in so well with the other Strawhats. Hehehe. Now he's injured too but...Hurray! Zoro's awake and mostly coherent again! Next Chapter: The old doctor returns to check on Zoro, and finds he now has another patient as well.


	10. Chapter Ten: Warning

Guarding the Guardian

Author's Note: This time you actually get to meet the doctor that treated Zoro. Hope you like him. Please review! Thanks!

Chapter Ten: Warning

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><p>It couldn't have been more than a couple hours before the cell door opened again, snapping Sanji out of his musings and bringing Zoro to instant awareness, though his eye remained shut. The elderly doctor shuffled in with his bag, heading towards the swordsman. However, he took one glance at Sanji, cursed a blue streak and changed course to approach the blonde.<p>

"It's just not right...not how we should do things." He was muttering angrily as he pulled on a pair of gloves and began to carefully examine the cook's injuries. "I don't know what the captain is thinking giving that monster free reign in questioning..." The doctor glanced at Sanji's face for the first time. "You're conscious?!" He blurted, shock evident on his wizened features as he caught sight of the pirate's almost amused gaze watching him. Before the blonde could reply, a harsh cough drew his attention and the doctor swung around to his patient on the cot. He found a narrowed eye peering back at him there too. "You too!?"

"Yeah." Zoro replied carefully, seeming confused by the shock.

"How are you awake?! A few hours ago I wasn't even sure you'd be ALIVE by now!" The old man admitted with a hint of astonishment, rushing over to examine the green haired man.

"Oi! Stop that!" Zoro struggled futilely as the doctor held a cold stethoscope to his bare chest and moved the oxygen mask aside to stick a thermometer under his tongue. The intimidation he might have managed was undermined by the wracking cough that followed his outburst and the fact that he couldn't actually move his hands more than a few inches before he hit the limit of his chains.

"Hold that under your tongue and be quiet." The doctor ordered sharply. "Otherwise I'll have to resort to other methods of taking your temperature." His eyes glinted wickedly behind his glasses.

It only took a few moments for the mild threat to sink in and Zoro suddenly stopped trying to spit the annoying instrument out, paling slightly though his expression remained stoic. Chopper had once informed him of the alternative ways one could get an accurate temperature from a person; with that same evil gleam in his eye (the one he generally only got when his nakama ignored or fought against his very sound medical attention). Weakened as he felt, and chained down the way he was, there really wasn't much he could do to resist if the marine decided to make good on his words, so the swordsman prudently chose to behave. Apparently, whatever the doctor had done before was helping, so it stood to reason that he was unlikely to do them any harm now.

Sanji chuckled at the sight of Zoro's relatively graceful acquiescence; despite the pain the laughter caused to flare in his chest. "Heh, you're lucky, old man. Our Captain doesn't let our doctor chain him up first. He usually has to chase the bleeding idiot all over the ship and then drag him back to the infirmary. Maybe I should suggest the idea when we get back..."

"Shut up! Moron!" Zoro growled around the slender glass thermometer but a meaningful glare from the marine doctor had him dutifully shutting his mouth.

Sanji laughed harder but the sound cut off with a groan as the motion pulled at the barely forming scabs. The doctor was quickly at his side, prodding the tender flesh and wiping away the dried blood to get a better look.

"Probably going to get infected...that bastard never washes that knife. Disgusting. I'll have to treat you with antibiotics and you'll likely need a tetanus shot as well, unless you've had one?"

Sanji shook his head, his teeth too tightly clenched to talk as the old man swiped the blood away with an alcohol soaked cloth.

"Didn't think so." The man tutted and rummaged through his bag for the needed supplies.

"Oi, Marimo." Sanji managed to make his voice sound pretty normal. Zoro's eye met his, though the swordsman said nothing since the thermometer was still in his mouth. "You be a good boy for the nice doctor, and when we get home I'll make you some cookies." He offered in his most condescending tone.

*CRUNCH*

Zoro spat out the shattered remains of the thermometer and seemed to be trying to rise, though the chains still held him firmly in place. "You wanna fight, Dartboard!" He demanded angrily. In the back of his mind he was pleased that he'd managed to yell without a cough tearing through him immediately.

"Not really." Sanji grinned wickedly. "Oi, Doctor-san, he's got a jaw like an alligator, doesn't he?"

The old man had scurried over and gathered up his broken instrument, looking rather perturbed. "Indeed. I guess I should have expected this from someone who fights with a katana in his teeth. Maybe it really would be better to..."

"No!" Zoro caught on quickly. "It won't...happen again." He insisted with just a hint of nervousness in his voice. "Shut up, cook!" He shot that last at Sanji who was grinning maliciously at him.

"I don't know, Doctor-san. They say it's much more accurate, don't they?"

"I'll kill you!" The green haired man snarled, losing control over his breathing and dissolving into a coughing fit that left him pale and shaking.

The doctor hesitated, looking from one teen to the other thoughtfully. They didn't seem like bad kids, for all their snapping at each other. Even if they were pirates, these two sort of reminded him of his grandsons. They bickered constantly too, but they were always quick to defend each other if the need arose. He grinned to himself at the thought. He knew just how to deal with a rivalry like that. You just had to give them a common enemy.

"Well...I only have one thermometer left in my bag and I'll have to take your temperature too, just in case." He pointed out to the blonde.

Sanji's grin quickly turned into a scowl that matched Zoro's own.

"I think we'll give Roronoa-san another chance." The old man offered magnanimously. "However, if I have to go all the way back to my office for another thermometer, I can assure you that neither of you will like the results." The Doctor warned, knowing he'd won the round.

There was no further trouble from either patient for the rest of his visit. Zoro allowed his medicines to be administered without a struggle; after a few suspicious questions and a sarcastic reassurance from Sanji about the promised cookies. The swordsman drifted to sleep after swallowing a dose of cough syrup and the doctor assured the blonde, before he could ask, that drowsiness was a minor side effect of the painkillers and it should pass in a few hours.

Sanji's injuries were cleaned, disinfected, and bandaged; and he was given shots for infection and to prevent lockjaw from the poorly maintained knife. He refused the offer of painkillers, choosing to remain as clear headed as possible.

"Well, then I'm afraid that's all I can do for you boys." The elderly man announced finally. "We'll be arriving at Sparrow's Crest in about four hours and then I guess it will be up to...another doctor to see that you two recover." He added after a moment's hesitation.

Sanji grinned a bit at the implications of that news. The old doctor clearly knew they would try to escape somehow and he'd just subtly given the blonde a time table to work with. "Thanks, old man."

The old marine nodded curtly with a grim look on his wrinkled features and headed for the door.

"Hey," Sanji called out softly. "You might want to spend some time in your office. It might get noisy pretty soon."

The old man snorted. "Hmph. You kids are always noisy these days..." He walked to the door and knocked to be let out. Before the door could be opened, he glanced back at the blonde and the green haired man with a calculating eye and then offered the cook a small smirk. "But thanks for the suggestion."

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><p>To Be Continued...<p>

Author's Note: Yay! A bit of humor to lighten the mood after the last chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Sanji's evil, isn't he? Hehehe. Next Chapter: The great escape attempt begins!


	11. Chapter Eleven: Escaping

Guarding the Guardian

Author's Note: Let the escaping commence! I hope you all enjoy it. Please review.

Chapter Eleven: Escaping

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><p><em>'Four hours from land, we'll move in three hours.'<em> The chef decided, still not entirely sure how he was going to pull off this escape with Zoro unarmed and his own weapons of choice bound in iron; not to mention neither of them being in any real condition to fight, but he was relatively certain something would come to him.

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><p>When Sanji finally decided which of his plans seemed the least likely to get them both killed instantly, he wasn't pleased with it. If it had been him alone in the cell he wouldn't have even considered it as an option, but he wasn't alone.<p>

The blonde looked over at the stupid green hair of his sleeping nakama and sighed in resignation._ 'He'd do it for me.'_ He admitted to himself sourly.

With that thought in mind, the cook pushed one of his narrow arms as far up through the manacle as it would go, thankful for his lithe build as the manacles were designed to hold beefy marines and huge dangerous pirates. Then he gritted his teeth to stifle any noise he might make and smashed his thumb against the metal wall. The blonde felt a crunch and for a moment he actually thought he might be sick as he realized he'd used a little more force than he actually needed. It wasn't like he ever actually tried this before.

"What the heck are you doing?!" Zoro hissed, having been woken by the sound of the impact.

Sanji drew in a shuddering breath. "Shut up." He bit out as he pulled his damaged left hand down through the iron restraint, the displaced and shattered bones making it fit where it hadn't before.

Zoro watched in thinly veiled alarm. "Are you stupid?" He growled quietly. "That was your hand!"

Sanji glared. "I know that, Mister-I'll-fight-without-feet!" He snarled. "Now shut up so I can do the other one."

"What?! Stop!"

However, the blonde wasn't listening to the harshly whispered protests anymore and with another dull slam of flesh on metal he'd successfully freed his right hand. This time he'd done what he'd meant to do the first time and only dislocated the thumb. It was painful but relatively quick to pop the joint back into place and he moved it experimentally, grimacing at the ache but it was over shadowed by the blinding pain every time he so much as shifted his left hand.

"I'm going to call the guards, Marimo. Act like there's something really wrong with you, not that that will require much acting, and I'll grab the keys or something while they are checking on you." He instructed the still scowling swordsman.

After a moment, Zoro nodded grimly and the blonde put his hands back up against the manacles so it wouldn't be too apparent he was loose at a glance. "Hey! Somebody! Help! Something's wrong with him! He's not breathing! Get in here! Help! Do something!" He poured every ounce of panic he could muster into his voice and was rewarded with the sound of the key in the lock as the pair of marines assigned to stand guard rushed in to investigate.

Zoro held his breath, looking almost as lifeless as he'd been when Sanji had pulled him out the ocean just a few days earlier. The memory helped add realism to the cook's continued demands for help and the two marines moved forward to check on the far too still pirate nervously. One of them hung back while the other reached out to shake the green haired man before leaning down over Zoro's face to check for any sign of breathing.

Zoro took the opportunity to drop the charade and used the only weapon he currently had available, headbutting the nearest marine in the face and ignoring the dizziness in caused in his concussed state. The action dislodged the oxygen mask from his face and he quickly took advantage of the new weapon this provided him; biting down on the stunned marine's shoulder and refusing to let go. Blood began to stain the man's white uniform as he screamed and struggled to reach his gun with his free arm.

Startled slightly by Zoro's ferocious unarmed attack, Sanji still wasted no time in grabbing the other marine with his good hand and wrapping his left arm around the man's neck in a choking hold. "Touch that weapon and you're both dead!" He said firmly, grimacing and tightening his hold as his prisoner elbowed him in his chest. White hot agony burned through the wounds there but he pushed it away. They would not get another chance at this. "The keys, now, or my crewmate will rip out your partner's throat." He demanded menacingly once both men had stopped trying to free their weapons.

"H-here!" The terrified marine complied hurriedly, holding up the keys with shaking hands.

Sanji plucked the keys free with his right hand and tossed them to Zoro. "Marimo, catch."

The swordsman caught the well aimed throw easily with one of his hands and grimly ordered his marine prisoner to unlock the chains on his arms. Sanji was always amazed Zoro managed to talk almost normally with his mouth full and this was no exception._ 'Luffy should take lessons on that skill.'_ He thought idly as he waited for the injured marine to comply.

A tightening of Zoro's terrifying jaw was all the encouragement the guard needed to remove the chains. As soon as his hands and feet were free, Zoro relieved the trembling marine of his sword and pistol and let the man go; using the former to direct the guard into locking himself into one of the now empty wrist restraints on the cot and tucking the latter away simply so the marines couldn't use it. Then he stood on legs that felt like water and made his way over to the cook and his own prisoner who, Sanji noted with some disgust, had just peed his pants upon seeing the swordsman on his feet. The blood still running down the green haired man's chin might have had something to do with it.

Zoro collected the second man's weapons and a baby dendenmushi as well, now brandishing both swords as he handed the keys to Sanji and directed the second marine to join his bleeding comrade on the cot and chain himself up.

Sanji fumbled with the keys for a few moments before coming up with the right one to free his feet and promptly kicked both guards into unconsciousness once he was out.

"Let's get out of here, Marimo." He said sourly, shoving his left hand in his pocket to keep himself from trying to use it and refusing to cry out as the broken bones protested the rough treatment.

"Lead the way, Dartboard." The swordsman wheezed as he leaned against the wall in a manner intended to hide the fact that it was actually most of what was holding him upright; as his head swam and his lungs burned with the urge to choke on every breath.

The pair moved into the hallway resolutely. If Zoro noticed how pale the cook looked or how the blood had already seeped through the bandages on his chest, he didn't mention it; and if Sanji heard Zoro's breathing hitch every few minutes as he fought off the urge to cough or noticed how much more slowly he had to walk to be sure the swordsman could keep up, he didn't say a word.

They pushed through a door and were momentarily dazzled as they stepped out into brilliant sunlight. When their vision cleared they found themselves surrounded on all sides by marines. The weary pair looked at each other with eerily similar expressions of resigned amusement.

"You take the half on the left...I'll take the right?" The swordsman suggested calmly, ignoring the hitch in his breathing as he adjusted his grip on the borrowed swords.

Sanji shrugged painfully. "Just as long as I get that one." He said, spotting the balding interrogator among the throngs of heavily armed marines they were now facing.

Zoro grunted in understanding and without another word the pair burst into motion. Zoro's borrowed swords were a blur as he determinedly cut a swath of destruction through the enemies. Sanji sent marines flying in all directions with his kicks, even pulling off a few spinning handstands with his one functioning hand as the adrenaline kicked in and overrode the pain. The blonde took special pleasure in the look of absolute terror on the weasely interrogator's face as he sent the man crashing head first through the ship's railing and into the ocean beyond.

Despite their bravado, both men were feeling the effects of the last few days. Zoro's arms and legs felt like lead and he stumbled a few times as his body protested the exertion. Sanji was there every time the swordsman faltered, pushing the enemies back until the green haired man could catch his breath and wade back into the fight.

They had managed to take out about a third of the marines in the first couple minutes of battle, surprise and infamy working in their favor to scatter the ranks. However, as the battle wore on, the marine captain began to rally his men into a more organized battle formation, and as the marines noticed how weakened the two pirates were, their daring increased.

Zoro's lungs burned and his head pounded as he used all his willpower to keep fighting. He felt his chest tighten in the beginning of a cough and launched a hasty Tatsumaki to buy himself some very literal breathing room. As soon as the tornado-like attack went off, he let the cough he'd been fighting escape and hoped he'd be able to get his breath before the downed enemies near him regained their footing. However, his fluid-filled lungs had other ideas and the wracking cough didn't stop. He vaguely felt his knees hit the deck as black spots crowded his vision.

Sanji was stuck in a fierce battle with a pair of lieutenants when he saw the swordsman fall to his knees, gasping like a drowning man. He finished off one of his opponents with a sharp kick to the head in order to clear a path to his fallen nakama and dove into the group of enemies that was quickly surrounding the green haired man.

Burning kicks fell like rain on the crowd of marines, pushing them back. "Oi! This is not the time to take a nap, Lazy Marimo!" He snapped, concern tingeing his voice despite the harsh words.

Finally stifling the cough, Zoro didn't have the breath to reply, but he slowly shoved himself to his feet; reclaiming the pair of swords that had fallen from his grip without him noticing. His chest heaved with the effort of providing air through lungs that lacked the space to take it in and he swayed slightly but he faced the enemies resolutely.

Sanji kicked a few more enemies, sending them flying in all directions but buying them a few more moments as the rest hesitated to face the pair together. He was beginning to wonder if they actually could take down so many foes in their current condition. He could tell Zoro was barely keeping his feet under him and his movements lacked the easy flow his swordsmanship usually held. Sanji's own wounds had reopened and he could feel the weakness that came with blood loss, pain, and exhaustion pulling at his own limbs.

The captain barked orders that the blonde didn't bother paying attention to as the marines began to close in. No such orders were needed between the pair of Strawhat Pirates as they moved to stand back to back in a rare show of unity.

"Ready to get out of here, Marimo?" The cook asked as he eyed his side of the deck tiredly.

"Yeah." The swordsman managed to grunt, stifling a cough and spitting out a mouthful of blood on the nearest marine's boot as he forced a demonic grin.

The marines began to charge with a battle cry and the beleaguered pair tensed to meet the charge.

Then the deck seemed to explode a few feet away and everyone's attention was drawn to the cause of the chaos.

* * *

><p>To Be Continued...<p>

Author's Note: Sanji broke his hand! Please don't kill me! O_o' I know he's breaking one of his rules but he's broken them before when nakama were at stake (like when he fought with kitchen knives against the creepy spaghetti guy to try and rescue Robin). Ahem, moving on...fight scenes are hard. I hope I did okay with it. Please let me know what you think. Thanks! Next Chapter: What's this mystery thing that has crashed into the fray? Will it help the faltering escape attempt or make things worse?


	12. Chapter Twelve: Reuniting

Guarding the Guardian

Author's Note: Hurray! We get to finally find out what the Mystery thing is! However, first we get to see what the rest of the crew has been up to since the storm. Enjoy and please review!

Chapter Twelve: Reuniting

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><p>Usopp was on watch, leaning out the window in the crow's nest with a spy glass pressed to one eye. Nami, Chopper, and Robin had gone into town to buy the last of the supplies they needed and scout for any information about their missing crewmates.<p>

Luffy, Brook, and Franky had been declared too conspicuous to be allowed to leave the ship once they had realized the extent of the marine presence on the small island; and Usopp had come down with a dreadful case of Must-not-go-onto-the-marine-infested-island-or-I'll-die-itis. The hyperactive captain had protested at first but Nami had pointed out that they might have to stay in the area for a while if they wanted to find Zoro and Sanji and they wouldn't be able to get much searching done with half a navy fleet chasing them.

Since then the rubber teen had spent most of his time sitting on the figurehead, watching the ocean as if he expected it to spit his missing nakama out at any minute.

Usopp was actually more than a little concerned that they might never find the missing pair but he hadn't yet been able to even bring himself to deal with that bit of truth even in the privacy of his mind, much less broach the taboo subject out loud. He'd seen what the others had not. He'd seen that marine ship hit Zoro and the swordsman hadn't surfaced again. He'd watched Sanji dive in after their first mate and the cook had surfaced once or twice, alone...and then he hadn't seen either of them come back up. The storm had been brutal and Zoro had almost certainly been injured...

"They're fine." He told himself firmly. "As the Great Captain Usopp, I would never lose any of my loyal followers to something as mundane as a storm! Besides, those two are monsters. They're stronger than a thousand...no, ten thousand men! I'm sure they were picked up by a friendly giant sea turtle and carried securely to the next island. Of course in between they'll have to fight off hordes of flesh eating thirty foot starfish and..."

He was so caught up in his comforting lie; it took Usopp a minute to register what he had just seen as he was peering through his spyglass out to sea.

"Marines!" He yelped, catching sight of the familiar seagull on the sails, but something wasn't right. As he watched the approaching vessel, several figures were flung into the air by some kind of whirlwind and half a dozen more were ejected bodily from the other side of the ship by something...or someone.

"Luffy!" He called down frantically and his elastic captain was beside him in a few moments. "Look!" He held his spyglass to the rubber boy's eye.

Luffy looked obediently and, after only a couple seconds, the grin he'd been lacking since the storm spread impossibly wide across his face as a tiny figure with impossibly burning feet dashed through the air above the marine ship for just a moment before disappearing back down into the fray.

"Zoro! Sanji!" He crowed gleefully, before stretching out his arms and just barely managing to reach the approaching marine ship with his fingertips.

Usopp backed away from his captain's line of fire. "I'll go get the others. It looks like we may be leaving quickly." He offered instead, suddenly cured of his mysterious disease.

Luffy nodded and with the snap of released tension he was gone, flying across the sea towards his nakama.

* * *

><p>The marines began to charge with a battle cry and the beleaguered pair tensed to meet the charge.<p>

Then the deck seemed to explode a few feet away and everyone's attention was drawn to the cause of the chaos.

The dust began to clear, revealing a cheerful face peering from beneath the brim of a battered straw hat. The rubber teen stood and brushed himself off, one hand wandering up to check that his hat was still secure before he turned his attention to the situation he'd landed in the middle of.

"Zoro! Sanji!" Luffy shouted happily as he spotted his missing nakama through the debris. "You guys shouldn't run off like that." He chided them seriously, ignoring the fact that he was generally the first to run off on his own. "You had Chopper really worried and..." He trailed off as the last of the dust settled and he actually got a good look at his first mate and cook. All pretense of the happy-go-lucky teenager slipped away and he lowered his head so the shadow of his hat covered his eyes. "What happened?" He asked, more than a hint of anger in his tone as he took in the exhausted and bleeding pair.

Zoro grinned at his captain like a madman; despite his labored breathing and the fact that the blonde at his back was now actually holding him up more than either of them was willing to admit. He shrugged off the question. "Just...a little...cold." He managed with a minimum of coughing.

Luffy's eyes narrowed as even he knew it took more than that to eat through his first mate's substantial endurance.

Sanji snorted at the understatement but didn't correct it. "It doesn't matter now. You didn't happen to bring me any cigarettes, did you?" He asked, not really expecting it but desperate enough to be hopeful.

"No, Sorry." Luffy replied as if the request was perfectly reasonable. Maybe in his mind it was.

"Too bad." The blonde sighed and shifted his shoulders back to shove the heavy swordsman more firmly upright. He figured they had about a minute before the idiot actually passed out standing up from lack of oxygen to his lonely brain cell. Yet, somehow that prospect wasn't as daunting as it had seemed a few moments before, not when he met his idiot captain's contagious grin across the deck.

The marines seemed to recover their courage during the brief conversation and all three pirates found themselves under attack. Injured, maimed, and sick, Zoro and Sanji had been determinedly making headway through the crew of the marine ship, though the battle had been turning against them. Now, with a perfectly healthy and slightly perturbed Luffy joining the fight, it took no time at all to finish off the rest of the enemies.

Sanji moved to help Luffy finish the fight and Zoro stayed standing by sheer willpower as the battle flowed around him; for once not seeming to mind if a rubbery fist swept enemies away as they charged at him or a fiery kick took out the foe he'd just engaged. All the recovery he'd managed during their brief stay in the brig was fast undoing itself as he pushed his body to its limits and beyond.

Only when the last of the marines was left in a groaning heap on the deck did the green haired man allow his knees to give out, choking on the liquid that refused to clear from his lungs and gasping desperately for air he couldn't process.

"Okay! Ready to go back?" Luffy asked happily as he dropped the unconscious marine captain and dusted off his hands. Only then did he notice the swordsman's struggles. "Zoro? Hey, Zoro, what's wrong?"

Sanji rushed to Zoro's side and dragged the green haired man to his feet with his good hand and Luffy's help. "He needs to see Chopper. The doctor here says there's something really wrong with his lungs." He explained through gritted teeth as they moved the nearly unconscious man toward the railing nearest the Sunny.

"Wait!" A voice called out and Luffy dropped Zoro's arm to move between his injured nakama and the speaker fists raised.

Sanji hurried to intervene as he struggled to support the muscular swordsman with only one working hand. "He's okay, Captain." He said calmly, eyeing the elderly doctor as the man approached them warily.

Luffy lowered his fists at the words and cocked his head at the old marine curiously as the man nervously shoved a sheaf of papers into the rubber teen's hands.

"Those are my notes on Roronoa's illness...for your ship's doctor." He said gruffly. "He's going to need all the help he can get with that one."

Luffy nodded seriously and tucked the important papers into his shorts for safekeeping. "Thanks old man." He offered with a grin.

The marine doctor nodded and turned away to see to what was left of the crew of his own ship, muttering about overdue retirement as he went.

Luffy turned to face his crewmates and then shifted his gaze to the now approaching Sunny, judging how long it was going to take to reach them against Zoro's deteriorating condition and Sanji's pale, slightly shaky form. The swordsman was too far gone to protest as the rubber teen stretched his arms on either side of them to latch onto the approaching ship, and the blonde had no time to do so before they were all flying through the air in the captain's rubbery embrace.

Luffy let Sanji go as they neared the grassy deck so he could turn to absorb the impact for his now unconscious first mate.

Sanji landed on his feet but stumbled in exhaustion and without thinking put out his hands to break his fall. He couldn't bite back a moan as his broken hand hit the deck and folded under him, refusing to bear his weight. The cook fell to the side and curled up protectively around the injured limb as white hot pain shorted out his brain.

He dimly heard Nami-swan calling his name and Usopp yelling frantically for Chopper before he slipped into the welcoming numbness of unconsciousness.

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><p>To Be Continued...<p>

Author's Note: Home at last! Luffy is such a cool 'mystery thing'. Hehehe. The story isn't over yet though. Next Chapter: Chopper does his best to fix his nakama but is it going to be enough?


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Healing

Guarding the Guardian

Author's Note: The boys are home and safe at last. Now it's time to start getting them back on their feet (or hands, in Sanji's case). Enjoy and please review!

Chapter 13: Healing

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><p>The first thing Sanji was aware of when he woke was the familiar sound of Zoro's snoring somewhere close by and Luffy's muffled laughter coming through the walls. The second thing he noticed was pain.<p>

He must have made some noise because the raspy snoring stopped and he heard Chopper's hooves on the wooden floor as the doctor rushed to his side.

"Sanji?" The reindeer called tentatively. "Sanji, wake up."

"He's awake." Zoro's rough voice cut in, sounding slightly relieved unless Sanji's ears were playing tricks on him. "Oi, Curlybrow. Open your eyes and quit scaring Chopper."

Loathe as the cook was to ever obey a command from the green haired moss monster, he could tell the little reindeer was actually worried about him and if that could be fixed by something as simple as opening his eyes...

It wasn't quite as simple as he felt it should be but after a few moments the blonde pried his eyes open and found himself face to face with their furry young doctor. Chopper's eyes lit up with relief and a smile took up most of the tiny creature's face as he stood on a chair leaning over his patient.

"I'm so glad." Tears began to run down the youngest crew member's face.

Sanji frowned in alarm and twisted his head to spot Zoro on the other side of the room on a futon on the floor. An oxygen mask was over his mouth and nose but otherwise he was looking much better than he had the last time the cook had seen him, which admittedly wasn't saying much since the swordsman had been unconscious and suffocating on his own blood at the time. "What's going on?" The blonde asked through a dry throat.

"That infection the marine doctor...mentioned got into your blood stream." The swordsman explained slowly, when it became clear Chopper was not in any state to form coherent words. "Between that...and the blood loss...you've been out for...three days."

"Three days..." Sanji mumbled, raising his hands to rub his face and stopping as one side was decidedly heavier than the other. "Crap." He moaned at the reminder of his other injuries. He wasn't too concerned about the knife wounds since Chopper had apparently conquered the infection, but he pulled his hands from beneath the blankets with dread.

The right didn't look too bad, it was sore and severely bruised and there were healing scrapes where he'd forced it through the cuff but it moved when he told it to easily enough.

The left hand was another story entirely. His hand was immobilized in thick plaster from just below his elbow all the way out to the last knuckle of each finger. He couldn't even try to move it and that terrified him more than he was willing to admit.

Chopper seemed to have calmed down finally and was eying the blonde's reaction to his work nervously.

"How bad is it?" Sanji finally managed to mumble, knowing Chopper's keen ears would catch it.

"You broke two of the bones in your thumb and three in your hand." The empathetic little reindeer replied carefully. "The bones are set and being held in the correct places by the cast. It'll be at least six weeks before I take that off." He hesitated.

The chef eyed the furry face, hanging on every word, so he caught the nervousness that flickered through Chopper's expressive eyes. "What aren't you telling me?"

Chopper gulped, tears welling up again. "It's just...with breakage this severe..." He took a deep breath and seemed to pull his professional role as a doctor around himself like a shield. "Especially in the hands, there is a very really possibility of permanent damage. It can cause a loss of dexterity or range of motion..." The professional facade crumbled. "I-I'm so sorry, Sanji!"

The stunned cook found himself with his arms full of sobbing reindeer and for a minute he simply sat and absorbed the words that had just shaken his world at its foundation.

"Chopper, don't go apologizing yet." Zoro ordered sharply, ignoring the cough that tried to break free at his outburst as he pressed on. "You told me yourself that you don't have any way to know if there will be permanent damage until that cast comes off!" He finished in a rush before the suppressed cough broke free and the effort of breathing preempted further attempts to speak.

Chopper watched to make sure Zoro was able to get the spell under control before he sniffed and wiped his eyes, settling back into his chair with a slow nod. "That's true..." He said softly, forcing a smile. "It might be totally fine once the cast comes off." He offered, which might have been more reassuring if he hadn't sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

Still, Sanji appreciated the effort. "I'm sure it'll be fine. After all, we have the best doctor in the world."

"Baka, that doesn't make me happy at all!" Chopper protested as he did a happy dance right there on his chair.

Sanji looked at Zoro while their crewmate was suitably distracted and found the swordsman studying him intently, though the glance quickly shifted to Chopper's antics as soon as he noticed the blonde watching him in return.

The blonde put the swordsman's behavior out of his head as Chopper began talking to him again, setting out guidelines for his recovery and explaining various medicines he'd been using to treat the infection and a poultice he was hoping might minimize the scarring from the knife wounds. Sanji only caught snatches of it as his mind kept dredging up the reindeer's previous words instead.

_'Loss of dexterity or range of motion...'_

Finally, the reindeer hopped down and trotted over to the infirmary door. "I'm going to go let everyone know you're okay. Get some rest, both of you." This last was added with a glare at Zoro that made it clear the swordsman had already begun to protest the medical restrictions Chopper had set for him.

Silence reigned for a few minutes once the tiny doctor had closed the door behind him. Sanji almost thought Zoro had fallen asleep until the swordsman spoke up, the words measured to his shallow breaths.

"Chopper said...from my injuries...it looks like someone...had to...resuscitate me recently." He said slowly, questioningly. "Something about...the way my ribs are broken..."

Sanji paled as memory assaulted him. Though he wanted badly to shrug it off with a comment on how impressed he was that the marimo knew a big word like resuscitate, the words caught in his throat.

That seemed to be answer enough for the swordsman. "So I drowned then."

It wasn't a question but the chef felt compelled to answer anyway. "You weren't breathing when I got to you." He admitted, having glossed over that fact in his previous telling of his rescue.

Zoro snorted, setting off a brief coughing fit that he was quick to stifle. He lay back and Sanji thought the discussion was over before the swordsman's gruff voice broke the stillness again. "How long?"

Sanji didn't need to ask what he meant. The blonde shrugged. "Five minutes...maybe more. I wasn't really paying attention to the time." He replayed the frantic memories in his mind. "Your heart stopped..." He added slowly, not sure why he was still talking when the swordsman had voiced no further questions. "not for long but it stopped." He started to run his hands through his hair but caught himself at the weight from the cast and used only his right hand to complete the motion. He itched for a cigarette, knowing Chopper would never let him smoke in the infirmary. "Don't ever do that again."

The swordsman shrugged and said nothing, unwilling to make a promise he couldn't keep.

"Sorry about your ribs, Marimo." The cook said after a few moments of heavy silence.

"You did what you had to, Curlybrow." He offered in reply. "Sorry about your hands."

Sanji smirked, knowing that was likely the closest thing to a thank you as he was going to get from his rival. "Yeah, well...I did what I had to." He drawled back, his eyes drifting to his shattered hand once again.

Zoro grinned crookedly as his own words were parroted back at him with more than a touch of dry humor despite the cook's obvious concern. He let the subject drop and closed his eye, focusing on his breathing to keep the lingering cough at bay.

This time the silence was not as uncomfortable and when it was broken a few minutes later, it was by the familiar sound of Zoro's snoring. Sanji could hear raucous laughter punctuated by an occasional crash from the direction of the deck. Luffy's antics were interrupted by Nami-swan's dulcet tones raised in righteous fury and Franky's bellowing over whatever part of the ship the hyperactive Captain had managed to damage. The exhausted cook relaxed, secure in the presence of his crew outside. He would have denied it vehemently but he was beyond relieved to hear that the crappy swordsman's breathing was no longer quite as labored as it had been.

He eyed his hands again, allowing himself to really look at the damage this time, now that he didn't feel the need to keep up his facade for Chopper's sake or because Zoro was watching him. The right hand really wasn't too bad, the skin around his thumb was black and blue but the digits moved when he told them to and the ache wasn't nearly as bad as it had felt when he'd first popped the joint back into place. He was fairly certain it would be back to normal in just a few days. It was when he lifted the other hand for inspection that he felt his stomach clench in dread...

Because no matter how much he tried to wiggle the visible ends of his fingers, they remained unresponsive. He couldn't even feel any pain for his effort and that fact frightened him more than anything he'd ever encountered. He poked at the exposed skin with his other hand to confirm his fears. It was numb, like something dead.

'Dead...'

The cook was actually thankful he hadn't eaten in days at that point because he found himself scrambling shakily from the bed to grab the waste can from beside Chopper's desk. The pain in his wounded chest and stomach flared as he heaved violently over the receptacle but, with nothing to bring up, the spell lasted only a minute.

Sanji was left sitting on the floor with the can clutched to him in his one good hand, hunched over his knees and ignoring the pain in his torso.

Until a heavy hand landed cautiously on his shoulder and a gruff voice cut through his despair. "Come on, Cook...Chopper'll have...both our heads...if he catches us out of bed."

The blonde head shot up in alarm at having been caught by the last person on the ship he wanted to know about this moment of weakness, but Zoro merely grabbed him under one elbow and hauled him to his feet without further comment.

Unable to fathom why Zoro wasn't making fun of him for freaking out and making himself sick, Sanji didn't even consider shaking off the swordsman's assistance until he was already sitting back on the infirmary bed. It was just as well because he felt as tired as if he'd worked a dozen dinner rushes on the Baratie just from his scramble across the tiny room and the short walk back to the bed.

Zoro released him as soon as he was seated but, to the cook's shock, the swordsman didn't go back to his own resting place. Instead the green haired man flopped exhaustedly onto the foot of the bed with a yawn. The oxygen mask had been discarded as a nuisance when the green haired man got up and he made no effort to retrieve it, despite the tightness in his chest.

"Chopper...he did something to your arm...to block the pain." He said evenly, closing his eye as he leaned against the wall wearily. "S'probably why...you can't feel anything. He told you...but I guess...you weren't listening."

The blonde's eyes widened and hope lit his features as he jerked his eyes off his bandaged hand to stare at the swordsman. "He...you...How did you..." He took a deep breath to calm his nerves as he realized he couldn't say anything to express his gratitude for the attempt at comfort without making both of them exceedingly uncomfortable, so he did the only thing he could think of. "Oi, baka Marimo. Don't go to sleep here! Go back to your own bed!"

A bare footed kick was caught on one muscled forearm as Zoro snapped to full awareness, grinning. "Heh...why should I...have to sleep...on the floor...Crap Cook?" He taunted breathlessly, wishing he hadn't left his swords over by his futon.

"Because moss always grows close the ground!" Sanji replied with a grin of his own.

"You wanna start something...Curlybrow?!"

"WHAT"S GOING ON IN HERE!?"

Chopper's outburst caused both men to freeze mid-scuffle. At some point, both of them had managed to get to their feet. Sanji had one leg outstretched in a kick that Zoro had blocked with Shuusui's sheathe after he'd grabbed his katanas. The swordsman already had Wado Ichimonji halfway out of it's sheathe preparing to escalate the fight. Both men were grinning fiercely until Chopper's angry voice pierced through the air again.

"GET BACK IN BED BEFORE I SEDATE YOU BOTH!" The little reindeer ordered sharply. "IDIOTS!" He fumed.

Breathing heavily from the brief exertion, Zoro frowned and reluctantly lowered his weapons as Sanji let his foot drop back to the wooden floor. Chopper muttered furiously as he worked on getting the pair settled once more.

The reindeer checked them over carefully for further damage and was relieved to find that neither of them had been injured during their brief spar.

"I'm going to get you something to eat." He huffed when he was finally satisfied, glaring at them both. "DO NOT MOVE from those beds while I'm gone!"

Both men nodded sullenly, refusing to look at each other or meet the irate doctor's eyes. Chopper trotted out, still murmuring angrily about the insanity of injured pirates.

The silence in the room stretched for several seconds.

"Maybe I should tell him about how well those chains worked for the marines." The cook quipped with a smirk.

Zoro pinned the cook with his best death glare, knowing full well it lacked impact since Chopper had wrestled the stupid mask back onto him with a combination of threats and sad puppy eyes.

The blonde glared back and the stare down continued for several long moments.

Then Sanji's shoulders began to shake and Zoro let out a small huff of amusement. It was ridiculous but despite the almost palpable need to fight with each other just to restore normalcy to their relationship; neither man was willing to risk angering Chopper. Two of the World Government's most wanted pirates; and they had just been scolded like unruly children by someone who was for the most part, a two foot tall teddy bear in a pink hat.

"I'll get up...if you do." Zoro offered half-heartedly with another amused noise.

What had been a silent chuckle from Sanji bloomed into a gale of laughter that Zoro joined a moment later with only a little more restraint. Some battles were not worth fighting.

Sanji let himself fully relax, all the worry and tension from the past week lifting off him finally. Suddenly, everything seemed brighter to the frequently pessimistic cook. They'd survived the storm, the island, the marines, and each other. They'd been reunited with the rest of the crew despite the odds against them. His hand would be fine and his chest wouldn't scar too badly. Chopper might worry, but he really was the best doctor in the world and Sanji had every confidence that if anyone could repair the shattered bones perfectly it was their furry nakama.

Zoro drifted off before Chopper could return with food for them; sandwiches prepared by Usopp. His soft snores filled the small room. Chopper shook his head indulgently at the familiar sight and let the swordsman sleep.

Sanji ate his sandwich placidly and then gave in to the doctor's orders that he try to rest. Everything was going to be fine.

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><p>To Be Continued...<p>

Author's Note: Chopper really does need chains. Ehehehe. Next Chapter: Sanji escapes from Chopper and finally gets back to his kitchen and his smokes. Everything's back to...crap! How is he supposed to cook with one hand? Also, Zoro's still in the infirmary. Is he really going to be alright?


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Cooking

Guarding the Guardian

Author's Note: No it isn't quite over yet. There are still a couple chapters to go, including the epilogue. This is most likely the last one until Monday though. Enjoy and please review!

Chapter Fourteen: Cooking

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><p>It took Sanji two more days to convince Chopper to let him out of bed, during which time he had done everything short of throwing a kicking, screaming tantrum to get the doctor to let him have a cigarette without success. Chopper was adamant that he couldn't smoke in the infirmary because the extra oxygen that Zoro was still using, and the swordsman was not happy with that situation at all, would maybe blow them all up; but he had long passed the point of caring about such trivial risks.<p>

As soon as the reindeer gave his reluctant permission for the cook to be out of bed, Sanji all but made a run for his galley and his stash of much needed nicotine. He grabbed a fresh pack and spent several fumbling seconds trying to open it with one hand before giving up and tearing into it carefully with his teeth. Shaking one of the cigarettes loose he pulled it from the pack with his lips and stuck the remains of the package in his vest pocket since he couldn't get any of his suit jackets over his cast. He snatched his lighter from his pants pocket and smoothly lit the waiting paper stick, heaving a sigh of pure pleasure as he breathed in the soothing blend of burnt tobacco and paper for the first time in over a week.

"Next time, I'm letting that idiot drown." He muttered to the empty galley, ignoring the voice in the back of his mind pointing out that that was a bigger lie than Usopp ever told.

Moving across the kitchen to the refrigerator and pantry, the cook began planning what to make for the crew for dinner, since lunch was already over by the time he broke loose from their doctor. Despite his incapacitated hand, he figured he should be able to do his job if he just worked a bit harder.

The first challenge came in getting the heavy packages of meat out of the refrigerator. Sanji fumbled them and they might have hit the floor if Robin-chan hadn't walked in and caught them in her hana-hana hands at the last moment.

"Can I give you a hand, Cook-san?" She asked with a small smile, amused by how literal that statement could be taken in light of her powers.

"Robin-chwan is so beautiful when she's being considerate!" The blonde noodle danced with hearts in his eyes before he regained his composure. "Ahem. No thank you, Robin-chan. If you'd just put those on the counter, I can manage from there."

"As you wish." The extra limbs sprouted up one after the other until the bulky brown paper packages could be placed on the work surface. Robin herself then slipped quietly out of the galley, but Sanji was too distracted with her beauty to wonder why she had come into the kitchen in the first place.

Sanji had better luck getting the bags of vegetables from the storage room but he hit another snag when he went to wash the potatoes.

"Kuso, Chopper said not to get this stupid thing wet." He eyed his cast with a mixture of loathing and anger that would have sent a sentient creature running but, seeing as it was only a lump of plaster and bandages, the cast stayed stubbornly where it was.

"Oi, Sanji." Usopp's voice spoke up from the doorway. "Can I have some pepper? I need to make some ammunition."

Sanji froze for a moment before plastering on his usual bored expression and turning to face the sniper. "You can have some, if you wash these vegetables first." He said, feigning disinterest in whether the long-nosed teen would take him up on the deal.

Usopp grinned and hurried forward, scrubbing the potatoes vigorously under the chef's keen watch. Sanji didn't think about the fact that Usopp almost never used his old ammunition since his pop greens were so much more effective.

It was after Luffy bounded in "to check on the meat" just in time to move a heavy pot of water onto the stove, and Chopper came "to make sure he wasn't overdoing it" right as he needed an extra hand to stir one dish while he seasoned another...that Sanji caught on to what they were doing. He was fairly certain the little doctor's pain pills were messing with his head for it to have taken so long for him to notice.

"Oi! The rest of you may as well come in and make yourselves useful." The blonde called out as he lit his fourth cigarette in less than an hour and leaned against his counter in resignation.

The galley door swung open to reveal Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy looking sheepish but grinning, Franky definitely not crying over something despite the tears running from behind his sunglasses, Nami looking beautiful and mischievous, and Robin smiling enigmatically behind them all.

Sanji sighed as he looked over his nakama as he took a deep breath of his chosen poison before exhaling the smoke into the air slowly, a smirk spreading across his face. "Chopper, stir the stew. Usopp, add the potatoes and carrots. Luffy, get out of that! It isn't cooked yet!" This was punctuated with a swift kick to his Captain's rubber head. "You and Franky, set the table. Nami-swan! Robin-chwan!" His whole demeanor changed radically as he addressed the two ladies. "Sit down, sit down. Can I get you anything? A snack before dinner? A delicious beverage? Coffee? Of course Robin-chwan wants coffee. Oi, Usopp! If you're done with that you can make Robin-chwan some coffee!"

"What?! She can make her own coffee!" The sniper screeched. "There's nothing wrong with her arms and she has lots of them!"

"Shut up! Robin-chwan shouldn't have to sully her gorgeous hands with such a mundane task! Make yourself useful!" Flames shot from the cook's eyes as he seemed to tower over the long nosed sniper.

"Yes Sir!" Usopp caved and rushed to make the coffee as ordered.

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><p>The dinner that night wasn't quite up to Sanji's usual standards but nobody seemed to mind. When he delivered a tray to the infirmary, he found Zoro had ditched the oxygen mask and was actually up doing some very slow katas in the small space.<p>

"You're lucky I'm not Chopper, Mosshead." The cook drawled, secretly glad to see the green haired man had managed the light exercise without coughing up a lung.

Zoro frowned as he sat back down on the infirmary bed. "I'd have heard him coming." He said with a shrug as he accepted the offered tray and began to eat the sandwich in the leisurely fashion that a Strawhat pirate could only enjoy when their captain wasn't around.

"I really should tell him about the chains." The blonde said, only partially joking.

"I'll kill you, Curly Cook." The swordsman scowled and set his empty plate aside.

"You couldn't if you wanted to, Marimo." Sanji shot back.

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><p>"ZORO! SANJI!" Chopper screeched when he entered his infirmary a few minutes later.<p>

Both fighters froze guiltily for a moment before breaking off their attacks. The swordsman sheathed his weapons, panting; while the cook headed for the door as the little doctor fussed over his most difficult patient.

"Don't think you're going anywhere, Sanji!" The reindeer snapped just as he had almost made his escape. "I'll need to check you over too."

Sanji sighed and surrendered gracefully, leaning against the wall to wait as their doctor made good on his frequent threats and sedated the protesting swordsman for his own good. The cook might have laughed if he hadn't suffered the same fate more than once at the tiny doctor's hooves.

Only when Zoro was sleeping soundly, the mask back over his face, did Chopper turn his attention to his other patient. He checked the stitches on the knife wounds and made sure the cast hadn't been damaged, even though he knew the blonde wouldn't have used his hands in the fight.

"Hey, is he going to be alright?" The blonde found himself asking when he was certain the green haired man was really out cold. He had been so caught up in his own injuries; he hadn't asked about Zoro's condition and he hadn't heard Zoro ask about it either, in all the days they been stuck in the infirmary together. He'd just assumed the mossball would be fine. It was unfathomable to think the guy wouldn't be back to normal in a few days, but it had been days already and he was still in the infirmary. The idiot hadn't even tried sneaking out yet, and that was more distressing to the cook than he wanted to admit.

Chopper hesitated for a moment. "He's getting better." He answered finally. "Zoro's really strong, but it could still take months for his lungs to fully recover...and that's if there's no scarring to the lung tissue."

"What does that mean?" Sanji asked blankly. It certainly didn't sound good.

Chopper frowned. "Shortness of breath, reduced endurance..."

The pair shared a look that showed they knew very well those issues would not set well with the stubborn swordsman.

The blonde shook off the worry that part of him wanted to admit he felt over the stupid moss ball. "I'm sure he'll get over it. He's a monster." He offered the little reindeer with a smile.

Chopper laughed as the word that had once hurt him so much, was not sounding like a bad thing at all this time. "Yeah, but he's our monster."

Sanji snorted. "Yeah."

"Sanji?" The little doctor said shyly. "Thanks for bringing him back."

Sanji looked at his furry nakama curiously.

"If Zoro had d-died." Chopper sniffled at the very idea. "Because he was saving me..." Tears welled up in his large eyes.

Sanji patted the reindeer on the head as comfortingly as he could manage. "He'd have been okay with it and you know it." He pointed out dryly. "Besides..." He shifted his gaze to the sleeping moron in the bed with a sigh. "That idiot would have done the same for me."

Chopper hiccuped, his tears slowing as he tried to calm down.

"Would you two shut up and let me sleep?" Zoro's grouchy voice cut in tiredly.

"YOU'RE AWAKE!?" The other two Strawhats shouted, one in anger and the other in shock.

One near fight and another vial of sedatives into the swordsman's arm later, Chopper evicted Sanji from his infirmary and leaned against the door with a sigh.

"He's right, you know." Zoro's voice drifted from the bed, though he didn't bother opening his eye. "Just don't tell him I said so."

Chopper gaped at his nakama in awe. "You really are a monster..." He mumbled with an awed shake of his head, as he moved to his desk to work on more medicine. Oddly, the little reindeer found he was feeling less worried now. He'd given the swordsman enough sedatives to knock out a young giant and the guy was still relatively coherent. Someone with that kind of fortitude wasn't going to let anything slow him down for long.

Zoro smirked at the words and finally let himself fall asleep. He'd need all his strength if he was going to escape Chopper's clutches. He'd heard what the doctor said about it taking months to recover and that was simply unacceptable. They were in the New World and he had to be at his best. He'd give it a day or two and then he had training to get back to.

* * *

><p>To Be Continued...<p>

Author's Note: So we now know what sort of future problems Zoro could be looking at from his illness. Next Chapter: The moment of truth! Sanji gets his cast off and Zoro finally escapes the infirmary. Are things finally back to normal...well, the Strawhat version of normal?


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Breathing

Guarding the Guardian

Author's Note: Surprise! I had some time to kill and decided to find some internet and give you all another chapter. This was originally going to be the end of the story but there will be an epilogue which will hopefully be up sometime Monday. In the meantime, enjoy this one and please review! Thanks!

Chapter Fifteen: Breathing

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><p>It took longer than he had hoped, but Zoro broke free of Chopper's clutches a week later; after he built up a tolerance to the highly potent new sedative that Chopper had been using on him. The reindeer released him reluctantly, with orders not to exert himself for a few weeks until his lungs had time to heal some more. He was also expected to use the stupid oxygen mask when he slept which he didn't see happening.<p>

By afternoon the swordsman had done hundreds of one handed pushups on the railing and spent several hours locked in the crow's nest with his weights.

"ZORO! What are you doing?!" The reindeer bellowed in a panic after Luffy had inadvertently ratted his first mate out.

"Training." Was the calm, if breathless, answer as the green haired man ran through his katas with massive weights in each hand instead of swords and a dumbbell clutched in his teeth.

"I told you not to overdo it!"

Zoro paused and lowered the weights, pulling the one from his mouth to give the wide eyed reindeer man a confused look. His breathing was faster and shallower than normal but he seemed to have it under careful control. "I'm not. This is only half the weight I usually use, and I only did two thousand pushups instead of four."

Chopper's eyes widened comically and he slapped a hoof to his forehead before giving up and wandering off, muttering about monsters and lost causes.

Zoro watched him go before shrugging and putting the weight back in his teeth to continue his training.

* * *

><p>Chopper cut away the heavy cast carefully and examined the progress of the healing critically.<p>

Sanji held his breath without noticing he was doing so.

"It seems like the bones have set properly." The reindeer said slowly. "Try and move it."

The blonde stared at his hand for a minute, as if trying to remember how to operate the limb that had been immobilized for too long. Panic was just beginning to set in when the long fingers finally responded stiffly, curling his hand into a fist.

The joints ached and popped loudly from disuse, but the cook couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face as he wiggled his fingers in front of his eyes a few times. "That's great Chopper. You're the best doctor." He said quickly, as the reindeer was opening his mouth to speak, no doubt with a list of medical advice that Sanji would then have to ignore. The cook took his chance to escape while the tiny doctor was protested how very much that didn't make him happy at all, even as he grinned and blushed and did a little dance of pure joy.

Sanji used his newly recovered dexterity to light a fresh cigarette as soon as he got out on deck and then leaned back against the railing to watch the smoke blow away against the blue sky. He absentmindedly worked the stiffness out of his fingers as he thought.

Nobody but Chopper and Zoro really knew how close they had come to losing the swordsman to that storm. The green haired man had considered the topic closed after their discussion in the infirmary and neither had brought it up again. Still, the images from that stormy night and the hellish days on that sorry excuse for an island haunted the cook's nightmares. More distressing than the memories of his own torture was the moment when Zoro had calmly announced he was dying. Delirious with fever or not, that had been terrifying to hear from the stubborn swordsman.

The marines truly had seemed like the only option and it had worked out for the most part. Sure he was going to have scars from that bastard's knife work but with Chopper treating them they weren't too bad. At least not like the Marimo's collection of vicious looking lines that had been acquired before they had a doctor on board. More importantly his hands were back in working order and everyone had survived.

The cook snorted a puff of smoke as another thought struck him. Zeff would likely have had his head for doing what he had done to his hands...or for getting caught by the marines in the first place, but he still couldn't think of another way he could have played the situation. They now knew that Luffy and the others had been looking for them, but the Sunny had been in dire need of supplies and they'd had to pause the search to reprovision the ship. He and Zoro had just been lucky to hit the Sparrow's Crest before the Strawhats had left again to keep looking for them.

In fact the whole fiasco was really a testament to their luck, or to whatever higher power watched over idiot pirate captains and the crewmembers crazy enough to follow them, that everything had worked out so well. The blonde shuddered to think of how many things might have gone wrong. He could have missed the island in the storm. He might've been a few moments slower in finding the swordsman under the water or he might never have found him at all. Zoro might have been too far gone by the time they reached shore. The marines could've found the pair a day or two later, which he was fairly confident would've left him the only living pirate to retrieve. Those same marines might have killed them outright or refused to treat Zoro once they realized who he was...

"Sanji!" The excited voice of his captain cut through his grim thoughts.

"Eh?" The blonde looked over as the dark haired teen perched precariously on the railing beside him, one curly eyebrow raised in question.

Luffy grinned back. "Chopper says you got your hand back!" He crowed joyfully as he bounced a little on his sandaled feet.

The cook nodded, unable to resist grinning back a bit as he flexed his hand for the rubber teen to see.

"That's great!" Luffy grinned impossibly wide. "You can make meat then, right?"

The chef rolled his eyes but the crooked grin didn't leave his face.

"Sanji, meat! Lots of it! We need to celebrate you getting your hand back, and finding you and Zoro, and Zoro being better, and everything...Right? Right?" The hyperactive teen was bouncing again and his eyes had taken on a certain light that they only got when he was contemplating large quantities of meat.

The cook stubbed out his finished cigarette and dropped the butt into the small pouch he carried for just that purpose. "Okay." He said agreeably. Who was he to argue when the captain wanted to have a party to celebrate the fact that they were all still alive and well. They'd thrown parties before with far less provocation.

"Yay! Party tonight! Usopp, Franky! Party!" The rubber teen shouted, bounding off to inform everyone else of the impending party (not that they couldn't hear him yelling from anywhere on the ship). "Hey Zoro! We're gonna have a party! With MEAT!"

"Hn." The swordsman acknowledged from his napping spot on the lawn. "And sake?" He asked, yawning, his eye seeking out the cook for his answer even as Luffy bellowed the addition to the menu across the deck.

Chopper screeched at Zoro in alarm at the mention of alcohol, since he'd expressly forbidden the first mate from drinking; a restriction that had lasted only about a day longer than the one against excessive training. After that, the little doctor settled for simply trying to moderate Zoro's alcohol intake, a compromise the swordsman grudgingly tolerated.

Sanji gave Zoro a lazy wave in acknowledgement to his question as he headed for his kitchen. Of course there would be sake...and meat, along with delicious, perfectly prepared delicacies for the ladies. He'd make lots of vegetables and sweets for Chopper since the little reindeer could eat meat but preferred fruits and veggies to go along with his sweet tooth. Tea for Brook, with plenty of milk in it. There would be cola for Franky as well since the cyborg didn't care much for any other beverage, and the cook would be sure to cook Usopp's meat well done because the sniper didn't like the sight of his food bleeding.

'Yeah, back to normal.' He thought with a wide grin in the safety of his kitchen as he lit another cigarette and rolled up his sleeves in preparation. 'Or as normal as we ever are.'

* * *

><p>To Be Continued...<p>

Author's Note: Almost done! Please let me know what you think and don't run off just yet! Next Chapter: Last One! An epilogue that I wrote for anyone curious to find out if their little adventure has any lasting effects on the boys; either physical or in the way they deal with each other.


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Epilogue: Living

Guarding the Guardian

Author's Note: Bonus epilogue! WARNING: Shameless fluff for the most part. This came to me as I was editing the rest of the story and I decided to add it. So here you go; the final chapter. Thanks very much for reading and reviewing. I hope you've enjoyed it. Please review and let me know what you think.

Chapter Sixteen: Living

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><p>The Thousand Sunny sailed on into new adventures as the crew chased their dreams. The ordeal was nearly forgotten as time passed; though if you knew what to look for it had left its mark.<p>

Sanji's left hand ached when it rained and the joints were just a little bit stiffer than they might have once been. He'd occasionally grumble a little bit about it when he was making something delicate for the ladies but he didn't mention it otherwise; especially not if the green haired first mate was in earshot.

Zoro's breathing never was quite the same, the scarring Chopper had been concerned about did become a problem and it left him easily winded for a while. However, he was far too stubborn to let a little scarring stop him. With copious amounts of training and meditation, he learned to work around his new limits fairly quickly; just as he had every other bodily weakness that had ever tried to get in the way of his dream.

If the swordsman appreciated the fact that the cook no longer smoked much when he was in the room, he never offered a word of thanks; and if he was aware that his second mug of alcohol at each meal was watered down, he never complained.

If any of their nakama thought it was strange that Zoro had changed his favorite foul weather nap location from the crow's nest to the corner of the cook's galley, no one mentioned it to either of the men in question. If they noticed that the bickering between the first mate and the cook was slightly more subdued on those days; or that it never reached the point where the blonde would actually kick the idiot swordsman out into the storm...well, that didn't bear mentioning either.

On those days, Sanji generally grumbled a bit on principle but worked around the minor obstacle with practiced ease. He would never admit that he liked hearing the sound of soft, even snoring in the warmth and comfort of his kitchen, drowning out the sound of the weather outside. It drove away the sometimes too vivid memories of lashing rain, waterlogged lungs that refused to breathe for far too long, a faltering heartbeat beneath his fingertips, and a fevered gaze, filled with resignation that had no place there.

On those same days, Zoro stole sake that Chopper still tried to convince him he shouldn't drink at all and napped. He'd never admit that he chose his resting spot partially because he'd noticed that on those rare occasions, it calmed the irritable cook to have him around. More importantly, the Strawhat first mate would likely rather face Kuma again, than admit he was sometimes only pretending to sleep. The noise of the cook in his element flowed around him and it helped drown out the memory of the familiar sarcastic voice cutting off in a pained scream or the sickening crunch of bones breaking in hands that were never supposed to be damaged; and it kept the image of kanji carved mockingly into pale flesh from haunting his dreams when he finally drifted off.

On those days there was an unspoken truce that only lasted until the sun came out from behind the clouds and the deck was dry enough for the snoozing first mate to move his favorite hobby back out onto the grass. That wasn't to say it was an entirely peaceful arrangement but somehow, the occasional kick aimed at a green head, or the feel of swords clashing against hard dress shoes...

That just helped them both breathe a little easier. They wouldn't want it any other way.

The End!

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><p>Author's Note: Done! Thank you all for reading and for the many kind reviews! I hope you all enjoyed this final chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I am amazed that this already has one hundred reviews. In thanks I plan to write a bonus omake chapter with a scene idea that was too silly for the main plot but I think would be really funny to see anyway. However, this is the end for the story so I am marking it complete. Also, I was looking at the recommendations for people who survive ARDS and they do actually include avoiding smokingsecondhand smoke and refraining from drinking alcohol. Poor Zoro. Sanji's still protecting him, just don't mention it to either of them...ever. Hehehe. So, please let me know what you think and thanks again for reading!


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